President Donald Trump is seriously considering a high-risk ground operation to seize approximately 400 kg of Iran's near-weapons-grade uranium, sources familiar with the deliberations told reporters, as the U.S.-backed conflict with Tehran enters its critical phase. The audacious plan, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, emerges two months into intense airstrikes targeting Iran's nuclear infrastructure. With intelligence suggesting the stockpile—enriched to 60% purity and sufficient for several bombs—has been dispersed or hidden post-strikes on Natanz and Fordow, Trump sees a commando raid as the fastest path to neutralizing the threat.

Trump has directed aides to explore extracting the material as a precondition for ceasefire talks, aiming to end hostilities by mid-April ahead of U.S. midterm pressures. "We can't let them rebuild under the radar," one official quoted the president as saying, emphasizing diplomacy backed by force. The operation would involve U.S. special forces, potentially supported by Israeli commandos, infiltrating fortified sites to secure and remove the uranium. Experts note similarities to historical missions, like the 1981 Israeli strike on Iraq's Osirak reactor, but underground bunkers and ongoing combat elevate the dangers.

Military planners outline a multi-phase assault: airstrikes to suppress defenses, heliborne insertion, site clearance for hazards like booby-trapped rubble, and uranium extraction or on-site neutralization with IAEA oversight. Fordow's deep fortifications and Isfahan's conversion facilities top the target list. Yet costs loom large. Troops risk anti-aircraft fire, ambushes, and radiation exposure, while Iran could retaliate via proxies in Iraq, Yemen, or by mining the Strait of Hormuz—threatening global oil flows and spiking prices.

Vice President JD Vance and GOP skeptics warn of quagmire echoes from Iraq, with domestic gas hikes eroding public support. "Boots on the ground could prolong the war, not end it," a senior Republican lawmaker cautioned anonymously. Success might force Iran to the table, verifying stockpile destruction and curbing its nuclear program. Failure, however, risks POWs, escalation, and regional fury—testing Trump's "peace through strength" doctrine in a volatile Middle East. The White House has not commented, but Trump teased on Truth Social: "Iran's nuclear games end soon—one way or another." As markets jitter over energy disruptions, the world watches this nuclear high-wire act unfold.