It’s the ultimate measure, one that holds both tremendous risk and strategic intent.
In a bold move that could redefine military intervention, American Special Operations forces stand poised to execute what is being touted as one of the most technologically advanced operations in military history. Their mission: to confiscate Iran’s enriched uranium from some of the nation’s most robustly defended nuclear facilities.
“Regrettably, it seems like the most probable solution to dismantling Iran’s existing nuclear capabilities will involve military action, especially since diplomatic talks have hit a standstill,” remarked Joseph Rodgers, who serves as the deputy director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
This mission, layered with intricate challenges, would see thousands of boots on the ground, tasked with breaching Iran’s nuclear strongholds. From dodging boobytraps to harnessing the skill of construction teams, and maintaining a robust defensive perimeter, the operation’s complexity was disclosed by a source deeply ingrained in military strategy to The Post on Friday.
At the heart of this daring endeavor, an elite group of special operatives would undertake the perilous task of extracting the nuclear materials—a process described as “extremely hazardous” by insiders.
“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 forces to secure a perimeter and then create a secure convoy route to the airstrip,” said Rodgers.
US military crews would have to dig out the destroyed entrances of the sites while holding off attacks from the Iranian military.
“So how long can you sustain that and still be able to exfiltrate all of your forces?” said Richard Goldberg, who served as director for countering Iranian weapons of mass destruction for the White House National Security Council in the first Trump administration.
The mission would further require complete control of a corridor of airspace that would allow the military to fly to a secure location.
Iran has been preparing for an attack on the Isfahan facility.
“We have seen reports of Iran hardening the facility at Isfahan, booby traps being laid, and potentially perimeter forces being stationed,” said Goldberg.
“There is no element of surprise at the moment. The targets are fixed. We know where they are. The Iranians know where they are.”
Iran has placed mines and explosives in the tunnels of the Isfahan facility in anticipation of a raid on the facility, according to a CNN report last month.
Pickaxe Mountain has emerged as a new target after it was reported that Iran transported hundreds of nuclear centrifuges at the Natanz nuclear enrichment location in the last month.
“We don’t know how many centrifuges are down there. Would they be looking to actually disassemble, destroy, bring them out? I mean, more likely, if you had to do a special operations mission inside Pickaxe Mountain the reason you would do that is you don’t think you can collapse the facility by airstrike,” Goldberg said.
The determination on whether airstrikes would be sufficient relies on US intelligence community knowledge on the schematics and weak points of the building — much like the bunker busters which targeted the Achille’s heel airshaft of the heavily fortified Fordo, according to Goldberg.
“That’s a destroy mission,” said Goldberg. “If you were to try to get into the facility, you’d be seeking to collapse the facility.”
Unlike the Isfahan and Fordo, the US could potentially see quick success in Pickaxe.
“Pickaxe Mountain, potentially, could be like the Maduro raid,” he said of the operation that arrested the Venezuelan ex-dictator Nicolas Maduro in the presidential compound of capital city Caracas.
“Because you are infiltrating, you’re setting explosives, and you’re getting out,” said Goldberg.