The war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran has so far been fought mainly through missiles and drones, but discussions in Washington have begun to include the possibility of limited ground operations. US President Donald Trump has privately expressed serious interest in deploying small numbers of US troops inside Iran for specific missions. NBC News The report quoted people familiar with the discussions.
According to the report, conversations with Trump aides and Republican allies outside the White House focused on the idea of limited deployments rather than large-scale invasions, with troops potentially assigned to narrowly defined strategic missions.
In a separate report Axios The United States and Israel said they had discussed the possibility of sending special forces to Iran later in the war to secure Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile. Such an operation could involve troops entering heavily fortified underground facilities where the material is believed to be stored.
Limited ground force options under discussion.
One of the main concerns of U.S. officials is Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The material, estimated to weigh about 450 kilograms enriched to 60% purity, could be converted into weapons-grade uranium within weeks if further enriched.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio hinted at the possibility of a ground operation in response to a question about Iran’s plans to secure uranium at a congressional briefing. “People are going to have to go and get it,” he said, without specifying which country’s military would carry out the mission.
The Trump administration reportedly considered two options: completely remove uranium from Iran or send nuclear experts to dilute it at the site. Any mission is likely to involve highly trained operators along with nuclear experts, potentially including scientists from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Trump: ‘Options remain open’
President Donald Trump did not rule out the possibility of deploying ground troops, but also suggested that large-scale deployment of troops was unlikely. He told reporters aboard Air Force One that ground forces would be used “only when there is a very good reason to do so.”
“If we do that, (the Iranians) will be too damaged to fight on the ground,” Trump said.
In a separate interview with the New York Post, he also mentioned the possibility of deploying troops, saying, “I don’t understand the idea of putting military boots on the ground.”
But he acknowledged such measures may not be necessary.
The ongoing war has already resulted in American casualties. Six American soldiers have been killed and 18 wounded in Iranian counteroffensives since hostilities began, according to the Pentagon. At least 1,332 people have been reported killed in Iran since the joint US-Israeli military operation began on February 28.
Meanwhile, Israel already has troops stationed in Lebanon. A large-scale evacuation of about 27 kilometers (16 miles) of southern Lebanon has been ordered.
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir said Lebanon’s goal was to disarm Iran’s close ally Hezbollah and operations would continue until that goal was achieved.
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