In a bold and potentially perilous move, Donald Trump directed his senior military leaders to devise an audacious plan aimed at securing Iran’s nuclear materials. The operation, considered one of the most intricate and hazardous missions ever proposed, would significantly depend on elite U.S. special forces, such as Navy SEALs or Army Rangers, who are already positioned in the Middle East. The strategy involves deploying hundreds, if not thousands, of troops on Iranian soil to seize approximately 1,000 pounds of highly enriched uranium. Multiple officials have indicated that should the mission receive approval, the extraction could span several weeks.

Initially, Trump had envisioned Operation Epic Fury as a swift, six-week campaign. However, the unfolding reality suggests that the mission’s timeline could extend well beyond that estimate. As of Thursday, the conflict has persisted for four weeks and five days. In a national address on Wednesday night, Trump assured the public that the war with Iran would conclude ‘very shortly,’ while also pledging that the U.S. would strike Iran ‘extremely hard’ over the next ‘two to three weeks’ if necessary. The plan requires transporting heavy excavation equipment, constructing a runway for large cargo aircraft, and extracting the radioactive material, much of which lies beneath debris following U.S. and Israeli attacks.

The operation’s insiders anticipate that retrieving what Trump has referred to as ‘nuclear dust’ could take several weeks, during which U.S. forces might face assaults from Iranian military units. Trump was briefed on this high-stakes proposal last week after requesting military options. According to Mick Mulroy, a retired CIA and Marine officer, this endeavor could represent the largest and most complex special operations mission in history, posing a significant risk to the troops involved. This plan reflects the administration’s unwavering determination to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapon capabilities, even if it means undertaking a mission fraught with danger and uncertainty.

‘It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the Commander in Chief maximum optionality,’ White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said of the plan. ‘It does not mean the President has made a decision.’ After the US bombed Iran’s nuclear sites at Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow in June 2025, many of the Islamic Republic’s enrichment capabilities were buried under tons of concrete. In order to access the nuclear material at Isfahan, ‘you have to get excavation equipment, break through the concrete and the lead shield … and then you somehow have to get to the bottom of this silo and remove the containers full of nuclear material and fly them out,’ sources familiar with the plan told the Post.

Several officials noted the plan is feasible, and special forces are trained for these types of missions, though it would be exceptionally dangerous and would expose the operators to Iranian attacks. The plan would likely kick off with targeted strikes on Iranian defenses to create a safe path for soldiers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne and Rangers to parachute into the nuclear sites to set up a secure perimeter. Then, engineers would need to quickly craft an airstrip to ensure that excavation equipment and more could be brought in for soldiers to begin digging out the nuclear material.

The logistics behind the mission would be daunting and require scores of soldiers, pilots, mechanics, drivers, refuelers, resuppliers and even potentially civilian nuclear experts to help mentor the troops as they handle the dangerous material. Food, water and gasoline would all need to be sent in at a steady pace to keep operations going around the clock. The operation would be akin to setting up a forward operating base deep within enemy territory while US forces dig up and then fly out any discovered uranium. But blasting through reinforced concrete rubble to gain access to the radioactive ‘dust’ would be grueling work and full of treacherous pitfalls. Commandos may be forced to do all this work while wearing restrictive protective equipment and air filtration systems.

In addition, determining exactly where the nuclear material is has been difficult, and US forces tasked with its discovery could face challenges without obtaining detailed layouts of the facilities. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran has roughly 970 pounds of uranium enriched to 60 percent. Weapons-grade uranium is enriched to 90 percent, and the process of going from 60 to 90 would take a matter of days. Trump has repeatedly stated that Iran was either weeks or days away from having nuclear weapons. ‘We haven’t seen big movements,’ showing Iran is trying to unearth the material, IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi has said. He noted there may have been trucks or cars visiting the bombed sites, but ‘ not bulldozers digging things out.’