DONALD Trump is weighing a do-or-die commando strike that could smash Iran’s nuclear threat once and for all.
The daring plan would see elite US and Israeli troops deep into hostile territory to seize – or destroy – Tehran’s hidden stockpile of enriched uranium.
Experts warn could become the biggest special forces raid in history.
And insiders say it’s a mission so dangerous it would make past operations look like warm-ups.
But with Iran still sitting on material that could fuel multiple nuclear bombs, the pressure is on to act now or risk catastrophe later.
Trump himself has made clear the option is firmly on the table.
He said: “They haven’t been able to get to it, and at some point, maybe we will.
“We haven’t gone after it, but it’s something we can do later on.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio added bluntly: “People are going to have to go and get it.”
The target is Iran’s remaining uranium stockpile buried deep beneath heavily bombed nuclear sites in Isfahan, Fordow and Natanz.
Despite devastating US-Israeli airstrikes last year, hundreds of kilos of highly enriched uranium remain – enough to be turned into weapons-grade material in weeks.
That’s why Trump and Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu are now looking at the far more aggressive option of boots on the ground.
The goal would be to physically seize or neutralise the radioactive material, finishing the job airstrikes couldn’t.
But this is no quick in-and-out mission.
Experts say it could take days, involve hundreds or even over 1,000 troops, and require total military dominance in the skies and on the ground.
The operation could potentially include forces such as the 75th Ranger Regiment or the 82nd Airborne Division.
Retired US admiral James Stavridis warned it could mean “potentially the largest special forces operation in history”, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Unlike past lightning raids, this would be a brutal grind.
Commandos would have to smash into underground tunnel complexes, dig through rubble and debris, and hunt down uranium stored in sealed cylinders – all while avoiding booby traps and potential Iranian counter-attacks.
They would then face the added challenge of safely handling and transporting highly dangerous radioactive material, deep inside enemy territory.
François Diaz-Maurin, writing in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, told The Telegraph: “Logistically and tactically, this mission would be highly perilous, if not nearly impossible.”
The uranium itself adds another layer of danger.
Stored as uranium hexafluoride gas, it can turn into deadly toxic chemicals if exposed to moisture – meaning one mistake could trigger a lethal contamination event.
Cheryl Rofer, a former Los Alamos nuclear scientist, estimated the stockpile could be spread across dozens of cylinders, adding to the complexity, according to the Telegraph.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/16097371/nuclear-commando-mission-end-iran-war-trump/
