Exclusive | US mulls plan to snatch enriched uranium from Irans nuclear facilities: most sophisticated op in history

It’s the nuclear option.American Special Operations forces are waiting in the wings to launch the “most sophisticated operation in military history” to seize Iran’s enriched uranium from heavily fortified nuclear sites.“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,” said Joseph Rodgers, deputy director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.The deeply complex operation would involve thousands of ground troops storming Iran’s nuclear facilities — navigating boobytraps, utilizing construction crews, and maintaining a large defensive blocking force surrounding the sites — a source familiar with military planning told The Post on Friday.From there, a small team of special operators would conduct the actual retrieval — a “highly dangerous” process, the person said.“I think this would be one of the most, if not the most, sophisticated operations in military history,” said Rodgers.“This would be a logistically heavy and difficult operation in a contested environment.Iran’s military is pretty destroyed, but they’re still more sophisticated than the Cubans that were guarding Maduro.”The group of special operators could include SEAL Team 6’s Silver Squadron, the 2nd Ranger Battalion, and the Army’s 21st Ordnance Company, according to a report from plugged-in independent outlet The High Side.The 21st Ordnance Company would be responsible for handling and transporting the whatever quantity of enriched uranium out of facilities from the mostly destroyed Fordo facility and the severely damaged Isfahan facility, according to the report.The IAEA reported in 2025 that Iran had upwards of 20,000 pounds of enriched uranium.“You need to create a secure perimeter around all of the sites that you’re trying to go in and grab the material from.

That would require ground forc...