Trump is considering one of the most complex and dangerous ground missions in Iran. The target: Tehran's nuclear program

The president has not yet made a decision, said US officials quoted by the Wall Street Journal, as they analyze the risks to which the US military involved in the operation would be exposed.

President Donald Trump is considering a military operation to seize nearly 450 kilograms of uranium from Iran, a complex and risky mission that would likely involve the presence of US forces on the country's soil for several days or more.

The US press has written repeatedly in recent weeks about the possibility of such action – and about the alternatives the US is discussing.

The White House leader has not yet made a decision on whether to issue the order, the officials who spoke to the Wall Street Journal said, adding that he is taking into account the danger to which American troops would be exposed.

But he is open to the idea, according to officials, because the mission could help meet his primary goal of preventing Iran from ever building a nuclear weapon.

The president also encouraged his advisers to pressure Iran to accept handing over the material as a condition for ending the war.

Where is Iran's uranium?

Before the attacks launched by the US and Israel last year on Iran's nuclear sites, experts believed that the regime in Tehran possessed more than 400 kilograms of 60% enriched uranium and almost 200 kilograms of 20% fissile material, which can be easily converted into 90% military-grade uranium.

The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said he believed the uranium was mainly located at two of the three sites the US and Israel attacked in June: an underground tunnel at the Isfahan nuclear complex and a hideout at Natanz.

Experts said the Iranians have centrifuges to enrich uranium and the ability to set up a new underground enrichment site.

Iran is not currently enriching uranium, US officials have said, and should enrich it to the level required for a nuclear weapon and then build a warhead or bomb.

A complex operation

The president and at least some of his allies have said privately that a seizure of the material in a targeted operation would allow the U.S. to end the conflict by mid-April, according to a person familiar with the talks who spoke to the Wall Street Journal.

But any such action would be complex and dangerous, former US military officers and experts said.

The possible operation, which would likely trigger retaliation from Iran, could actually extend the war far beyond the 4-6 week timeframe publicly presented by the Trump administration, experts believe.

A mission of a few days or a week

US forces teams would have to fly to the locations, likely under fire from Iranian surface-to-air missiles and drones, according to experts.

Once on site, troops should secure the perimeter so engineers can search through the rubble and check for mines and booby traps.

The extraction of the material would likely be handled by a team of elite forces, specially trained to remove radioactive material from a conflict zone.

The highly enriched uranium is probably contained in 40-50 special cylinders. They should be placed in shipping containers to protect against accidents.

They could fill several trucks, said Richard Nephew, a senior researcher at Columbia University and a former nuclear negotiator with Iran.

If an airfield was not available, an improvised one would have to be set up. The entire operation would take days or even a week, experts said.

Trump's signals

Trump has declined to say publicly whether he will order the uranium recovery mission.

On Saturday, however, he urged his supporters to watch Mark Levin's Fox News show, in which the conservative commentator advocated for Trump to “get the uranium.”

On Sunday night, Trump said Iran must do what the United States asks or “they won't have a country.”

Referring to Iranian uranium, Trump said: “They're going to give us nuclear dust.”

Special forces arrived in the region

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Saturday X that the USS Tripoli arrived in the region on Friday, the main element of a naval group with 3,500 sailors and marines, transport and fighter aircraft and “tactical and amphibious assault assets”.

The U.S. military is also preparing for other options should the president order them, including deploying Navy rapid response units and paratroopers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division to the region, which could occupy strategic locations such as Kharg Island off Iran's southern coast, according to a U.S. official.

The Pentagon has many of the resources in the region to conduct uranium mining if ordered to do so, and is considering deploying an additional 10,000 troops to give the president more options in the war, according to US officials.

Asked at a Pentagon news conference earlier this month what the U.S. plans to do about Iran's enriched uranium, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he hoped Tehran would agree to give it up, but hinted that the U.S. military had options to seize it if Iran refused.