President Donald Trump has refused to rule out deploying US ground troops to Iran. In an interview to a private news channel, Trump said he would consider it if necessary, as his administration offered conflicting timelines on how long the military operation would continue. Mr Trump said unlike previous presidents, he would not categorically rule out putting troops in Iran, adding that he probably doesn’t need them but would use them if needed.
In the same interview, Mr Trump said the operation was right on schedule, way ahead of schedule in terms of leadership, claiming rapid progress against Iranian command figures and military infrastructure.
Meanwhile, in his first public comments on the strikes in Iran, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also declined to rule out the deployment of ground troops. When asked specifically about whether American forces could be sent to Iran, Mr Hegseth said it would be foolishness to expect U.S. officials to say publicly here’s exactly how far the US will go.
The comments come days after U.S. and Israeli forces began a widespread military campaign against Iran dubbed Operation Epic Fury. The initial wave of strikes killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, eliminating the country’s highest political and religious authority.
