How Trump's Plan to Seize Iran's Nuclear Fuel Would Actually Work: Ground Operation Would Target 10 Sites, Risk Thousands of Lives

The Plan

President Trump and top defense officials are weighing whether to send ground troops into Iran to retrieve the country's highly enriched uranium. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a congressional briefing: "People are going to have to go and get it."

Operation Details

Target Sites

Experts say as many as 10 locations could be targeted simultaneously:

• Isfahan, Arak, and Darkhovin research reactors
• Multiple nuclear fuel enrichment facilities
• Uranium conversion and storage sites
• The targets are not in close proximity to each other

Forces

• 82nd Airborne Division: 3,000 brigade combat troops deploying to the Middle East
• The 82nd specializes in "joint forcible entry operations"
• Likely supported by special forces for the actual nuclear material retrieval
• Operation would take several weeks minimum

Expert Assessment

Spencer Faragasso (Institute for Science and International Security):

"I personally think a ground operation using special forces supported by a larger force is extremely, extremely risky and ultimately infeasible."

Key Risks

1. Multiple simultaneous targets: Sites spread across Iran, requiring coordination
2. Troop exposure: Forces would be deep inside hostile territory
3. Nuclear material handling: Highly enriched uranium is dangerous to transport
4. Iranian response: Military, proxy, and asymmetric retaliation
5. International law: Ground invasion of a sovereign nation without UN mandate
6. Duration: Weeks-long operation with sustained risk

Timeline

• Pentagon plans imminent deployment of 3,000 82nd Airborne troops
• Iran rejected Trump's 15-point peace plan
• White House: Trump "is prepared to unleash hell" if no deal
• Lawmakers have expressed concern about the ground operation plan

Technical Challenges

Retrieving nuclear material is not like seizing conventional weapons:

• Radioactivity: Handlers need specialized equipment and training
• Critical mass: HEU must be handled carefully to prevent accidental chain reactions
• Transport: Requires shielded containers, specialized vehicles
• Security during transit: Each shipment is a high-value target

Historical Parallel

The closest historical parallel would be Operation Orchard (2007 Israeli strike on Syrian nuclear reactor), but this would be vastly larger in scale — involving ground troops rather than just airstrikes.

Source: WIRED