US May Deploy Special Forces To Seize Iran's Nuclear Stockpile; Isfahan, Fordo, Pickaxe On Target List

Published 25 July 2026 · world

US May Deploy Special Forces To Seize Iran's Nuclear Stockpile; Isfahan, Fordo, Pickaxe On Target List Published By, Last Updated: July 25, 2026, 23:07 IST

US May Deploy Special Forces To Seize Iran's Nuclear Stockpile; Isfahan, Fordo, Pickaxe On Target List Published By, Last Updated: July 25, 2026, 23:07 IST The operation would require thousands of US troops to secure Iran's nuclear sites, clear booby traps, use construction crews and protect the perimeter. Iran's Natanz nuclear facility. (AP File) The United States is weighing a large-scale special operations mission to seize enriched uranium from heavily fortified Iranian nuclear facilities, the New York Post reported on Saturday. Quoting experts and a source familiar with military planning, the report said the operation could require thousands of troops to secure the sites, clear booby traps and protect transport routes. A smaller special operations unit would then retrieve the nuclear material in what one expert described as potentially “the most sophisticated operation in military history". The report said possible targets include the nuclear facilities at Isfahan, Fordo and the underground Pickaxe Mountain complex near Natanz. It added that Iran had reinforced some locations and planted explosives in preparation for a possible raid. Experts also warned that the mission would be extremely dangerous and could instead become an operation to destroy underground facilities.

Experts outline scale of operation Calling it the “nuclear option", the report said American Special Operations forces were waiting in the wings for what could become an unprecedented military mission. “I hate to say it, but I think the most likely way to get rid of Iran’s nuclear material, at least what they currently have, is a military operation because the negotiations aren’t going anywhere fast," Joseph Rodgers, deputy director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, was quoted as saying. According to the report, the operation would involve thousands of ground troops entering Iran’s nuclear facilities, navigating booby traps, using construction crews and maintaining a large defensive force around the sites. Once the areas were secured, a small team of special operators would retrieve the enriched uranium. “I think this would be one of the most, if not the most, sophisticated operations in military history," Rodgers said, adding that the mission would be “logistically heavy" in a contested environment. The report said the special operations team could include SEAL Team 6’s Silver Squadron, the 2nd Ranger Battalion and the Army’s 21st Ordnance Company. The 21st Ordnance Company would reportedly handle and transport the enriched uranium from the mostly destroyed Fordo facility and the severely damaged Isfahan site.