Marco Rubio sat before Congress and said five words that changed everything.
Trump “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear facilities but Rubio just laid the next card on deck, signaling what they intend to do next.
Now Trump is weighing whether to send America's most elite warriors into the heart of Iran to finish the job.
Rubio Told Congress Someone Has to Go Get Iran's Enriched Uranium
Senators asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio a direct question during a classified briefing this week: would Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium be secured?
Rubio didn't hesitate.
"People are going to have to go and get it," he said.
He didn't say which country's forces.
He didn't say when.
But he said it – and now the entire calculation of Operation Epic Fury has shifted.
Iran is sitting on approximately 450 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent purity, buried in underground tunnels beneath the nuclear facility at Isfahan.
That material can be converted to weapons-grade fuel within weeks.
If the full stockpile reached yellowcake 90 percent purity, it would be enough for 11 nuclear bombs.
The air campaign destroyed Iran's centrifuges and sealed the entrances to its nuclear tunnels.
But the uranium is still there – and American intelligence has confirmed Iran could reach it through a narrow access point.
Delta Force Has Been Training for This Iran Nuclear Raid for Decades
This isn't a new problem for America's most elite special operations forces.
Delta Force has maintained what military specialists call a "counter-WMD mission" for decades – specifically designed for exactly this scenario.
"Their job is to go in and get loose nukes – where it could be any fissile material or centrifuges or anything else," said Jonathan Hackett, a former Marine Corps interrogator and special operations specialist. "They practice that. They're proficient at that."
Earlier versions of similar plans were studied during the Obama administration, when Israeli officials proposed commando raids on Isfahan, Fordow, and Qom.
Obama's team dismissed those proposals as too risky.
Trump's team is not dismissing anything.
Two options are on the table – physically removing the uranium from Iran entirely, or bringing nuclear specialists in to dilute it on-site, possibly alongside scientists from the IAEA.
Trump confirmed aboard Air Force One that ground operations have not been ruled out.
"Right now we're just decimating them, but we haven't gone after it," Trump said. "Something we could do later on."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt made Trump's posture crystal clear.
"President Trump wisely keeps all options available to him open and does not rule things out," Leavitt said.
This Is What The Timeline Actually Looks Like
In 2018, the United States terminated the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) or Iran Nuclear Deal that limited Iran’s uranium enrichment.
Biden spent four years desperately trying to hand Iran a nuclear deal – billions in sanctions relief in exchange for another agreement.
In April 2021 Iran announced it would begin enriching uranium up to 60% – short of the 90% needed to be considered weapons grade – after what it called “sabotage” on its Natanz nuclear facility.
Tehran called the attack “sabotage” and a “terrorist attack” without saying who they believed responsible. However, according to BBC reports at the time Israeli public media cited intelligence sources who claimed it was a cyber-attack by Israel.
The lesson every nation has learned since the advent of nuclear arms is to get a bomb, or as close to one as you can and you’ll be left alone – especially after you stopped hearing North Korea and “Axis of Evil” in the same sentence once they joined the nuclear club.
Perhaps that’s why Iran's own negotiators boasted to American diplomats just days before Operation Epic Fury launched that their stockpile could produce 11 nuclear bombs – effectively saying you could strike, but there’s a possibility we could have already weaponized if you do.
Trump launched the strikes anyway.
Ten days into Operation Epic Fury, the air campaign has killed Supreme Leader Khamenei, shattered Iran's ballistic missile inventory, and we buried the nuclear stockpile under rubble last June already.
Sources:
- Joshua Klein, "Report: Trump Weighing Special Ops Raid to Secure Iran's Enriched Uranium Stockpile," Breitbart, March 8, 2026.
- Barak Ravid, "U.S. weighs sending special forces to seize Iran's nuclear stockpile," Axios, March 8, 2026.
- Reuters Staff, "Trump's Iran options include special operations raid on nuclear sites," Semafor, March 7, 2026.
- FDD Action, "Policy Alert: U.S. Launches Operation Epic Fury to Eliminate Iran's Nuclear and Missile Threats," FDD Action, February 28, 2026.
