Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley called on the Trump administration to send in U.S. special forces troops to extract Iran’s enriched uranium.
During an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union” with host Dana Bash, Haley argued that while U.S. and Israeli forces already degraded Iran’s missile, drone, and naval capabilities during the war, Iran’s uranium stockpile remains an issue that must be resolved. She said the U.S. must conduct an operation to remove the uranium to prevent the Iranian regime from getting a nuclear weapon.
"I think that's probably what it's going to come down to. I mean, this is a special force mission. It would take about a week to 10 days to get done. They know how to do it," she said.
Haley pointed out that Trump “said that he doesn't want Iran to have a nuclear weapon. But keep in mind, the Gulf allies have said, we don't want Iran to have a nuclear weapon. They are pushing to continue this coalition with the United States to make sure that doesn't happen. And I think they are going to have to extract that uranium to make sure that it doesn't happen.”
Nikki Haley calls on President Trump to send troops to "extract" Iran's uranium.
— Jeff Charles, Asker of Questions🏴 (@jeffcharlesjr) April 13, 2026
"This is about what do you do to make sure Iran is no longer a national security threat to Americans?" pic.twitter.com/bQaL1u4OX8
The U.S. and Israel have already discussed deploying special operations to secure Iran’s uranium stockpile, most of which is buried in underground tunnels.
The standoff between Washington and Tehran escalated when President Trump imposed a U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. This was after Iran had already shut down much of the traffic through the waterway.
𝐍𝐈𝐊𝐊𝐈 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐄𝐘: “𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐒 𝐀 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐂𝐄𝐒 𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍 — 𝐈𝐓 𝐖𝐎𝐔𝐋𝐃 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐀 𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐊”
— M.A. Rothman (@MichaelARothman) April 12, 2026
CNN’s Dana Bash asked Haley point-blank whether U.S. special forces need to go into Iran and extract the enriched uranium. Haley didn’t flinch:… pic.twitter.com/ycMSbnZY0z
The White House is cutting off all sea traffic to and from Iranian ports to hamper the regime’s ability to earn revenue through the shipping going through the region. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it will view any military vessel approaching the strait as a violation of the ceasefire agreement and cautioned that such an incursion would be met with force.
Axios reported that the Trump administration is weighing sending special forces into Iran to deal with its uranium stockpile. Trump is trying to decide whether he is willing to put U.S. troops on the ground for this purpose. Such an operation could leave U.S. forces inside the country for days or even longer.