Full Breakdown
US and Israel Consider Ground Operation to Seize Iran’s Enriched Uranium
6/9/2026, 11:20:30 AM
Extraction Plan for Iran’s Enriched Uranium
Former Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant and former U.S. president Donald Trump have publicly floated a ground operation to seize Iran’s highly enriched uranium (HEU). Gallant called the plan “dangerous” but “worth paying the price to avoid an existential risk.” Trump said the United States could act “right now” and that a two-week deployment with heavy equipment would be needed.
Historical Context and Precedent
U.S. planners cite past covert removals of HEU as models. Project Sapphire (1994) moved 600 kg from Kazakhstan to Oak Ridge, Tennessee, using a 31-member team and a C-5 aircraft. Similar missions later secured uranium from Libya (2003) and Venezuela (2022).
Key Actors & Official Statements
Yoav Gallant, former Israeli defence minister, warned that Israel is paying a heavy price for perceived leadership weakness and framed the extraction as vital to national survival. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, said Israel would take the material if given the opportunity. Donald Trump, former U.S. president, said a U.S. operation would not be blocked by Iranian resistance, that the material could be seized immediately, and that any approach would be monitored by the Space Force. The U.S. Department of Energy and Pentagon analysts are providing technical assessments of the Iranian stockpile.
Uranium Stockpile Estimates
Intelligence estimates Iran holds over 440 kg of HEU enriched to 60 % purity, enough for more than ten nuclear warheads if further enriched to 90 % weapons grade, stored in sites such as Isfahan.
Criticism & Risks
Israeli officials label the mission “extremely dangerous,” noting that 2024 ground-penetration munitions failed to destroy the stockpile. Critics warn a hostile incursion could spark a broader regional war and have called the plan “strategic suicide.”
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Trump cites a two-week timeline, while other officials stress unknown logistical hurdles. Precise locations, security measures and Iranian force readiness remain unverified, and source confidence is modest.
Verbatim Quotes
- “worth paying the price to avoid an existential risk, I never sent people on more dangerous operations than what I did myself.” — Yoav Gallant, former Israeli defence minister
- “And we will go with them or without them. But we will not allow people to shoot at us. Now, if we do not reach an agreement, then we will exterminate them militarily very harshly. And we will wait until we do this before we leave, so we will have security one way or another. If we make a deal and now we are friendly, we will all go together. The equipment will be ours. We will take it and destroy it, either on-site or by moving it off-site,” — Donald Trump, former U.S. president (CNBC, June)
- “Getting there [Iran] is not like Venezuela. You have to be there for two weeks. You need a lot of equipment,” — Donald Trump, former U.S. president (Thursday interview)
- “You go in and you take it.” — Benjamin Netanyahu, prime minister of Israel
Outlook
U.S. and Israeli officials continue to weigh operational risk while diplomatic talks over Iran’s nuclear program proceed. No formal order for a ground mission has been announced; any action will depend on negotiations and regional security assessments.
