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Trump Weighs Iran Ground Operation to Seize Uranium Stockpile as SEALs, Rangers, Marines and 82nd Airborne Deploy to Middle East
President Trump is weighing a military operation to extract Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium, and U.S. forces have been deployed to the Middle East to provide that option. CBS reports hundreds of special operators — including Navy SEALs and Army Rangers — alongside thousands of Marines and Army paratroopers, with deployments also covering options to forcibly open the Strait of Hormuz and seize oil from Kharg Island; CENTCOM declined to comment.
📌 Key Facts
- CBS reported (March 30, 2026) that hundreds of U.S. special operators — including Navy SEALs and Army Rangers — have been deployed to the Middle East.
- CBS reported that thousands of U.S. Marines and Army paratroopers, including elements of the 82nd Airborne, are also in the region.
- The deployments are intended to give President Trump the option of seizing Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.
- The force posture also includes planning options to forcibly open the Strait of Hormuz and to seize oil from Kharg Island.
- CENTCOM declined to comment publicly on the deployments; the Pentagon appears to be keeping the posture in the realm of unattributed leaks rather than on‑the‑record acknowledgments.
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 30, 2026
2:48 PM
Special Operations Forces, Marines and Army troops now in Middle East, sources say
New information:
- CBS sources say hundreds of U.S. special operators (including Navy SEALs and Army Rangers) are now in the Middle East, alongside thousands of Marines and Army paratroopers, specifically to give Trump the option of seizing Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.
- The deployments also cover options for forcibly opening the Strait of Hormuz and 'taking oil from Kharg Island,' putting concrete units behind earlier talk of such missions.
- CENTCOM is refusing public comment on the deployments, underscoring the Pentagon’s desire to keep the posture in the realm of unattributed leaks rather than on‑the‑record acknowledgment.
March 29, 2026