The Pentagon is preparing for operations lasting several weeks on the ground in Iran, the Washington Post reported on Saturday, March 28, citing American officials. This comes as the United States enhances its posture in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the President of the Iranian Parliament, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, stated on Sunday that the United States was planning a ground offensive. “The enemy is publicly sending messages of negotiation and dialogue, while secretly planning a ground offensive,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a statement relayed by the official Irna news agency.
Such operations would not lead to a large-scale invasion of Iran, American officials anonymously noted in the American press, but would involve raids in Iranian territory by both members of special forces and other soldiers. According to the Washington Post, it was unclear on Saturday whether Donald Trump would approve all, some, or none of the Pentagon’s plans.
When asked by the media, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt stated, “It is up to the Pentagon to make the necessary arrangements to give the commander in chief maximum options. This does not mean that the president has made a decision.”
The news from the capital’s newspaper comes at a time when the United States’ stance in the Middle East conflict is being bolstered by the arrival of the amphibious assault ship Tripoli in the region, as announced on Saturday by the US military. This aircraft carrier is leading a naval group that includes around “3,500” sailors and Marines, according to US Central Command.
The announcement of the ship’s arrival comes shortly after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Friday that the United States could achieve its objectives in Iran without deploying ground troops.
Vice President JD Vance affirmed on Saturday that the United States is “not interested in a presence in Iran for one or two years,” and mentioned that Washington had “achieved most of its military objectives.” “We are managing the situation, we will soon leave the area, and gas prices will decrease,” he added.
“I am not deploying troops anywhere. If I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you, but I am not deploying troops,” Donald Trump also stated on March 20 from the White House, as reported by the Washington Post. These remarks were made earlier this month.
However, the American president remains somewhat ambiguous about the possibility of sending troops to the ground, with several media outlets reporting in recent days that he is considering sending at least 10,000 troops to the Middle East soon.
