Nikki Haley, a former Republican presidential candidate, said the United States would “probably” have to deploy special forces to secure Iran’s uranium stockpile.Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union, Haley said: “Maybe this is where it’s going to come down to it.
I mean, this is a special force mission. It will take from a week to ten days to complete.
They know how to do it. It’s dangerous.She added that the operation would be decisive in weakening Iran’s capabilities. “It’s not something that we can, you know, just sit back and think it’s casual. I think they have to do it. But once they do that, they literally take one arm off the Iranian regime to where they can no longer threaten any of our allies.”Her statements come at a time when Donald Trump is considering options for dealing with the Iranian nuclear program. The United States has already struck Iranian nuclear facilities using bunker-buster bombs, pushing uranium stockpiles deep underground, the New York Post reported. Instead, the president warned Tehran that US satellites were closely monitoring its nuclear sites and that any attempt to recover the stockpiles could lead to further strikes.
Tensions remain high in the region. Iranian state media reported the deployment of special naval forces along the southern coast, amid fears of possible US action. At the same time, thousands of additional US troops were sent to the Middle East to reinforce existing forces.Trump also kept open the possibility of a ground operation. “I have no doubts about putting troops on the ground,” he said in a recent interview.Efforts to calm the situation have so far failed. Trump’s two-week ceasefire led to talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, but the negotiations collapsed. US Vice President J.D. Vance confirmed, “We did not reach an agreement,” after which American officials withdrew. Trump has since announced plans to impose a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.Despite her support for Trump’s approach to Iran, Haley made clear that she does not plan to run for president again.
“I wouldn’t,” she said when asked about a possible 2028 bid.However, some lawmakers have raised concerns about the risks involved in any Special Forces mission. US SenatorMark Warner warned that retrieving the uranium would be very complicated. “These are 1,000-pound bombs that are highly explosive, and it will not be a simple operation. It will require 10,000 soldiers on the ground to guard the perimeter of the area,” he said.He also warned that Iranian forces could retaliate in ways that could put American forces at risk and further complicate the mission.
