MILITARY

ROBERT MAGINNIS: The Pentagon's plan to seize Iran's uranium isn't a raid. It's an invasion.

The mission would target Fordow, Isfahan and the deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain complex near Natanz

By Lt. Col. Robert Maginnis, (ret.) Fox News

Published July 26, 2026 10:46am EDT

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US eyes plan to obtain Iran’s nuclear material from Pickaxe Mountain site, report says

The White House is reportedly considering a complex plan to obtain enriched uranium from Iran's underground nuclear sites, specifically Pickaxe Mountain. This comes amidst satellite imagery showing continued construction and concerns about Iran's new leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, who is reportedly open to pursuing an advanced nuclear weapon. Former CIA Station Chief Dan Hoffman discusses the intelligence and military options available.

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The Pentagon has reportedly revived an extraordinary option for President Donald Trump: Send thousands of American troops deep into Iran to seize enriched uranium from damaged and buried nuclear facilities, according to a new report.

It is being described as a raid. It would be nothing of the sort.

This would be a temporary invasion of hostile territory, launched without real surprise, against an enemy that has spent months expecting us, at sites whose defenses and contents remain uncertain. American troops might seize the objective only to become trapped in a mission with no reliable timetable and no clean exit.

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Satellite image shows an overview of the Pickaxe Mountain tunnel complex in Natanz. (Vantor/Handout via REUTERS)

A modern Desert One

The historical parallel is Operation Eagle Claw, the failed 1980 attempt to rescue American hostages in Tehran. President Jimmy Carter had exhausted diplomacy and sanctions after a hostage crisis that had humiliated the United States for six months, as mounting political pressure pushed him toward a complex rescue operation.

It ended at Desert One, where mechanical failures and a collision between a helicopter and a transport aircraft killed eight American servicemen before the rescue force ever reached Tehran.

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