In order to completely dismantle Iran’s nuclear program, Donald Trump must do something that he has so far avoided like holy water.
March 14, 2026, 10:00 a.mMarch 14, 2026, 10:00 a.m
After two weeks of war and thousands of air strikes on Iranian military targets, a central question remains unanswered: Where are the approximately 440 kilograms of highly enriched uranium that experts say Iran has?
Surprise attack: US Special Forces commandos are dropped off by a Blackhawk helicopter during an exercise in New Mexico.Image: imago stock&people
It is true that Iran’s nuclear facilities were severely damaged in the Twelve-Day War a year ago; and the ongoing bombings are also likely to have hit corresponding targets. On Thursday, the Israeli Air Force said it had destroyed the Taleghan complex in Tehran’s suburb of Partshin, which is linked to nuclear research.
But the containers with enriched uranium remain missing. At the end of February, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) warned that Iranian uranium could soon be made weapons-grade if centrifuges continued to function.
That’s why Iran expert Barbara Slavin says to the US army magazine “Stars & Stripes”: It now takes “the mother of all commando operations, plus heavy equipment” to secure the nuclear containers. The specialist portal “The War Zone” shows though the great risks of such a special operation, “but it may be the only way to secure the material.”
US President hesitates and sets conditions
President Donald Trump does not rule out such an approach, but sets conditions: “If we ever do that, they (the Iranians) have to be so decimated that they can no longer fight on the ground,” said Trump in an interview on board Air Force One. There must be “very good reasons” for sending US ground troops.
Reporter: Mr. President, don’t you need ground troops to secure the enriched uranium at the nuclear sites?
Trump: We’re going to find out about that. We haven’t talked about it, but it was a total obliteration. They haven’t been able to get to it. And at some point, maybe we… pic.twitter.com/f9LR6BzIdn
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 7, 2026
Trump’s hesitant stance is being questioned by analysts, as a confidential IAEA report from February 27 shows how serious the situation is. According to the IAEA, Iran has 440.9 kilograms of uranium with a purity of 60 percent – just one technical step away from the 90 percent required for weapons quality. IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi warned that this inventory could theoretically be enough for “up to ten nuclear bombs”.
The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) writes in a current analysis, The whereabouts of the highly enriched uranium are “unknown”. It is most likely in damaged tunnels near Isfahan or in Natanz and Fordow. According to recently published satellite images, the Iranians have dug access tunnels in Isfahan in order to regain access to the buried nuclear facilities.
Fox News reported in mid-week, citing US intelligence sources, that the uranium had been moved bomb-proof to a new granite tunnel in a mountain near Natanz. The news channel also spoke of a commando operation being necessary to ensure security.
“Sufficient time window” for theft and misuse
The IISS study predicts that if the mullahs’ regime loses control in the ongoing war and a power vacuum arises, “the security of nuclear materials, technology and knowledge will become a central problem.” Without the use of ground troops, it is difficult to contain the proliferation and radiation risks.
The air strikes so far – no matter how intense and precise they may be – could destroy facilities and delay programs. But they neither guarantee that the material will be secured nor prevent it from being passed on to Iranian terrorist proxies such as Hezbollah, Hamas or the “Islamic State”.
One becomes even more urgent current report of the Washington Stimson Center: A political upheaval or even a regime change could create a “sufficient window of opportunity for the material to be stolen or disappeared.”
“Boots on the Ground”: Indispensable for securing Iranian uranium.Image: US Air Force
The Stimson authors conclude: “To both effect regime change and secure Iran’s vulnerable weapons of mass destruction-related material, the United States may ultimately be forced to use ‘boots on the ground.'”
Retired US Air Force General David Deptula admits to “Stars & Stripes” that the physical security of nuclear material has a different dimension than mere air strikes against underground nuclear facilities. In view of the urgency, however, appropriate planning variants are already available “with almost certainty,” concludes Deptula.
Affirmative writes The US research portal Semafor said in an exclusive report that the US Central Command had already developed the option of such a command action.
Three-star General David Deptula is convinced that appropriate planning options exist.Image: USAF
But whether the plans will be carried out soon is a completely different question. The numerous war missions carried out by “Peace President” Trump to date show one thing above all: the US President quickly and readily agrees to the manageable risk of telegenic air strikes.
But when it comes to the deployment of US troops on foreign soil, which is fraught with losses and attracts negative headlines, an extraordinary scenario is required. Even in the “perfectly executed” kidnapping of Venezuela’s former ruler Maduro, there were some fortunate circumstances at play so that the American Special Forces did not suffer significant losses. (aargauerzeitung.ch)