US considering high-risk Iran ground invasion – NYP

Citing sources familiar with the matter, the NYP report details a "hugely complicated" mission that would necessitate a large-scale assault. The plan envisions deploying several thousand Army soldiers to storm heavily fortified nuclear sites, breach defensive minefields, and secure a perimeter, while engineering units are brought in to stabilize defenses. A smaller, specialized special forces team would then be tasked with the "extremely dangerous" core objective of extracting the uranium stockpile.

The operation would require U.S. forces to secure entry points by clearing the rubble of destroyed facility entrances and repelling Iranian resistance forces. Securing complete control of the air corridor would be paramount to ensure the safe extraction of personnel and materials . The report comes as relations between the two nations have deteriorated sharply, with President Donald Trump declaring the ceasefire agreement "no longer in effect" on July 9.

The NYP’s exclusive is the latest in a series of reports indicating a more aggressive posture by Washington. Previous reports, including from the Washington Post, noted the Pentagon had developed plans for similar operations, but the current proposal is believed to be even more extensive, potentially requiring the rapid construction of a runway to allow cargo aircraft to extract the radioactive material. The operation is seen as a high-stakes gambit to prevent Iran from further enriching its nuclear stockpile, a key point of contention in the region.

However, the feasibility of the plan remains a significant question. Experts have previously characterized a similar plan as having a "high" to "extremely high" acceptable risk level, suggesting that even if successful, it could result in substantial US casualties . The NYP report emphasizes the immense logistical challenges of operating deep inside Iran while under potential retaliation from Iranian forces.

In response to the report, an informed Iranian military source told Russian media that the Iranian military has already conducted drills for a variety of US attack scenarios and is fully prepared for a ground invasion. Tensions have been high since the U.S. launched a series of airstrikes on July 8, which Washington claimed was in response to Iranian actions against commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.