The US and Israel are mulling a special forces operations in Iran to secure the country’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium and end its nuclear missile ambitions, Axios reported on March 7

The high profile mission is only at the planning stage now, and if it happens later in the war, the publication reports, citing officials familiar with the discussions.

The goal would be to prevent Iran from converting its existing 440kg of uranium reserves enriched to 60% into weapons-grade material with 90%. Experts say that to enrich the existing stockpile could be done relatively easily and quickly.

Last year the US flew a sortie against Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities and dropped large bunker-busting ordinances that US President Donald Trump claimed “obliterated” the stockpile. However, it has since transpired that the Iranians had already evacuated their enriched uranium which is reportedly at the same location at the Isfahan nuclear facility, with smaller quantities at Fordow and Natanz, according to US and Israeli officials.

The option of sending forces into Iran has been discussed privately by senior US and Israeli officials as part of a broader set of military and diplomatic strategies to neutralise Iran’s nuclear capabilities, Axios reported, citing four sources familiar with the talks.

Any operation to seize the material would likely require American or Israeli troops to enter heavily fortified nuclear facilities, some of which are located deep underground in the mountains. It remains unclear whether the mission would be conducted by US forces, Israeli units or a joint team.

The discussions come as the Trump administration pursues what it has described as a central objective of the conflict: ensuring that Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon.

At a congressional briefing earlier this week, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that securing the uranium stockpile remained a priority. “People are going to have to go and get it,” he said, without specifying which country would carry out such an operation.

“The first question is, where is it? The second question is, how do we get to it and how do we get physical control?” a US official said when describing the operational challenges. “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.”

Kharg Island

Another option under discussion is to seize or destroy Iran’s main oil export terminal on the Khang Island in the northern corner of the Persian Gulf. The island is home to the bulk of Iran’s oil export capacity and knocking it out would disable Tehran’s ability to export oil and put the government under extreme financial pressure. However, taking all Iran’s oil exports off the market would also have a knock on effect on global energy markets and likely lead to a spike in the price of oil. The Kharg Island terminal is responsible for roughly 90% of Iran’s crude oil exports.

Trump did not rule out the possibility of sending troops to capture the island or the uranium during remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One on March 7.

“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.

Asked specifically whether troops might be deployed to secure nuclear material, Trump added: “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 said the president “wisely keeps all options available to him open, and does not rule things out.”

Officials stressed that any mission would likely involve a small, targeted deployment rather than a large-scale ground operation. “Boots on the ground for Trump is not the same as what it means for the media,” a senior US official said. Another source added: “Small special ops raids — not a big force going in.”