The United States and Israel have discussed the possibility of sending special forces into Iran to secure the country’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium at a later phase of the war, according to four sources familiar with the deliberations.

Stopping Iran from ever acquiring a nuclear weapon has been identified by President Donald Trump as a central objective of the conflict. A major factor in that effort is Iran’s estimated 450 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity — material that experts say could be further refined to weapons-grade levels within a matter of weeks.

Any attempt to take control of that material would likely involve American or Israeli personnel operating inside Iran, potentially in heavily fortified underground facilities, and doing so while the conflict is ongoing.

It has not yet been determined whether such an operation would be carried out by U.S. forces, Israeli units, or a combined mission involving both countries.

Officials familiar with the discussions say any such move would likely only be considered once both governments determine that Iran’s military is no longer capable of posing a serious threat to the forces involved in the operation.

During a congressional briefing on Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio was asked about the fate of Iran’s enriched uranium and whether it would be secured. “People are going to have to go and get it,” he said, without specifying who.

One Israeli defense official said President Trump and his advisers are seriously weighing the possibility of deploying special operations forces inside Iran for targeted missions.

According to a U.S. official, the administration has examined two primary approaches: removing the uranium stockpile from Iran altogether, or sending nuclear experts to the site to dilute the material where it is stored.

Such an operation would likely involve a combination of special operations personnel and scientific experts, possibly including specialists from the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Two individuals familiar with the matter said plans for such missions were among several military options presented to Trump before the war began.

NBC News reported Friday that Trump has discussed the possibility of sending a limited number of U.S. troops into Iran for narrowly defined strategic purposes.

Semafor similarly reported that the president’s list of potential responses includes Special Operations raids targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.

One U.S. official described the complexity of the challenge involved in securing Iran’s uranium stockpile. “The first question is, where is it? The second question is, how do we get to it and how do we get physical control?”

“And then, it would be a decision of the president and the Department of War, CIA, as to whether we wanted to physically transport it or dilute it on premises.”

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, President Trump acknowledged that the use of ground troops remained a possibility — but only under specific circumstances.

“If we ever did that, [the Iranians] would be so decimated that they wouldn’t be able to fight on the ground level,” he said.

When asked directly whether troops could eventually be deployed to secure nuclear material, Trump did not dismiss the possibility. “At some point maybe we will. We haven’t gone after it. We wouldn’t do it now. Maybe we will do it later.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Axios that Trump “wisely keeps all options available to him open, and does not rule things out.”

In addition to the uranium stockpile, administration officials have also discussed the possibility of taking control of Kharg Island, a key oil terminal responsible for roughly 90 percent of Iran’s crude oil exports.

The current location of Iran’s uranium stockpile has also been affected by earlier military action. U.S. and Israeli airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities last June buried much of the material under debris, according to American and Israeli officials, leaving the Iranians themselves unable to reach it.

Those same strikes also destroyed nearly all of Iran’s centrifuges, and officials say there is no evidence that uranium enrichment has resumed since then.

U.S. and Israeli officials believe that most of the remaining uranium stockpile is located in underground tunnel systems at the nuclear facility in Isfahan, with smaller portions stored at Fordow and Natanz.

In the opening days of the war, American and Israeli forces launched strikes on the Natanz and Isfahan facilities that appeared designed to seal the entrances, likely in an effort to prevent the material from being moved.

Officials from both countries view Iran’s 450 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent as a major threat, given that only a short amount of time would be required to increase the enrichment level to weapons-grade.

If the entire supply were enriched to 90 percent purity, experts say it could produce enough fissile material for approximately eleven nuclear weapons.

One senior U.S. official emphasized that talk of deploying troops does not necessarily mean a large-scale ground invasion.

“Boots on the ground for Trump is not the same as what it means for the media,” a senior U.S. official said.

“Small special ops raids — not a big force going in,” another source added.

“What has been discussed hasn’t been thought of in terms of boots on the ground,” a third source said. “People think Fallujah. That’s not what has been discussed.”

{Matzav.com}