US and Israel devise plan to seize Iran's highly enriched uranium

The United States and Israel are reportedly discussing the possible deployment of special forces to Iran to secure stocks of highly enriched uranium. Axios, citing four sources familiar with the discussions, reported on Sunday (8 March) that officials from both countries have been involved. Former U.S. President Donald Trump is also said to have indicated that American forces could be deployed to Iran in a subsequent phase to secure this material. Axios, citing an unnamed U.S. official, said the administration is weighing two main scenarios for handling Iran’s uranium. The first option is to move the entire stock of enriched uranium out of Iran. The second option is to send a team of nuclear weapons experts to Iran to directly reduce the level of enrichment on site; in the second scenario, the mission would likely involve International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) scientists. The IAEA is widely known as the international watchdog responsible for monitoring nuclear programmes to ensure compliance with non-proliferation agreements. Axios also reported that the plan had actually been among options presented to President Trump even before the latest Iran conflict broke out. Citing two sources familiar with the discussions, the report says the option of deploying special forces was discussed in the early stages of U.S. national security policy planning. Several Israeli defence officials are said to continue monitoring the developments. An unnamed Israeli defence official said that Trump and his advisers are seriously weighing the option to deploy special forces to carry out a limited mission inside Iran to secure sensitive nuclear material. Tracking the latest status of Iran’s uranium as of March 2026, including enrichment levels, the condition of the Natanz facility after the attacks, and IAEA analysis. The United States is pressing Iran to dismantle Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities and hand over 10,000 kilograms of uranium in ongoing negotiations in Geneva. See the points of the agreement.