With the rapid advancement of the “Operation Epic Fury,” the question of whether the United States will deploy ground forces into Iran to seize its nuclear materials has become a global focal point. President Trump has made multiple statements on the matter recently, emphasizing that while the current military focus remains on destroying Iran’s conventional weaponry, the possibility of seizing enriched uranium in the future is not ruled out.
On Friday, during an interview with Fox News’ “The Brian Kilmeade Show,” Trump clearly stated that the current priority for the United States is to “severely strike their missiles and drones.”
Regarding the specialized operation to seize enriched uranium, Trump responded, “Currently, we are not focusing on this, but at certain moments we might.” These words have left significant room for strategic speculation.
Steve Witkoff, the U.S. Special Envoy for Middle East Affairs, revealed astonishing details about previous negotiations between the U.S. and Iran on Tuesday, March 10. Iranian representatives claimed to control approximately 460 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60%, which could be further enriched to weapons-grade level within 7 to 10 days, enough to produce around 11 nuclear bombs.
Witkoff pointed out that it is Iran’s nuclear deception that has convinced the U.S. that military force is the only option aside from negotiation.
Regarding the deployment of ground troops to Iran, Trump mentioned last Saturday aboard “Air Force One” to reporters that while the deployment of ground troops is a possibility, there must be “very compelling reasons” to do so.
Trump emphasized that any ground deployment would require confidence that the Iranian military had lost the capability to launch serious attacks. He stated, “If we were to do that, the Iranian people would be devastated to the point that they couldn’t engage in ground combat.”
He later added that although actions to secure nuclear materials are not excluded, it would be at a later stage of the conflict, “We’re not doing it now, maybe in the future.”
In a post on “Truth Social” on Friday, Trump once again displayed a firm stance, highlighting his role as the 47th President of the United States in ending the 47-year-long terrorist threat from Iran.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Dan Caine further confirmed the progress of “Operation Epic Fury” on Friday. They reported that the U.S. military has hit over 15,000 enemy targets and destroyed nearly 90% of Iran’s missile stockpiles and production lines.
Hegseth stated that Iran’s military innovation center has been essentially leveled. This achievement appears to be paving the way for the “ground action threshold” set by Trump – to incapacitate the Iranian military.
In his post on Friday, Trump reiterated that the United States possesses “unmatched firepower and unlimited ammunition,” emphasizing that the U.S. military has ample time and strength to decisively eliminate the threat at the appropriate moment.