American soldiers in military operations in Iraq. PHOTO: PJF Military Collection / Alamy / Profimedia
US President Donald Trump said on Monday he was prepared to send US troops to the ground in Iran “if necessary”, adding that the prospect did not scare him.
Real time information about the war in Iran and what is happening in the region
“I'm not emotional about ground troops — unlike all those presidents who say, 'There will be no ground troops.' I'm not saying that,” the White House leader said in an interview with the New York Post.
“I say, 'We probably don't need it' or 'If it were necessary,'” Trump then added, according to AFP and Agerpres.
“The Great Wave Is Coming Soon”
On the other hand, in a separate interview with CNN, Trump assured that the “big wave” of the American offensive against Iran is just coming, speaking on the third day of the bombing campaign carried out jointly by the US and Israel.
“We have the best military in the world and we are using it (…) But we haven't even started to hit hard. The big wave hasn't happened yet. The big wave will come soon,” the US president warned.
Despite the heavy US-Israeli bombardment, the Iranian regime shows no signs of weakening its position and that a regime favorable to Washington could take its place, the main objective pursued by the US, after Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and dozens of high-ranking military and political officials were killed in an airstrike on Khamenei's residential compound on Saturday.
The Iranian officials killed were quickly replaced, however, and despite calls from Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Iranians have so far not taken to the streets in anti-government protests.
Moreover, Iran retaliated with waves of missile and drone attacks against Israel and US bases located in the Gulf countries.
Trump admitted in the CNN interview that the “biggest surprise” for him is the Iranian attacks on the Gulf countries, which he claimed now “want to fight”.
However, without a ground intervention, airstrikes may be insufficient to bring about a power shift in Tehran, analysts and Western media say.
The last large-scale deployment of US ground troops to a conflict was in Iraq in 2003, and the last massive presence of US ground troops in a conflict was in Afghanistan, where the US chaotically withdrew its last forces in the summer of 2021 after 20 years of war.
Pentagon chief: “It won't be like Iraq”
Trump's statements came after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a press conference earlier on Monday that the war against Iran “will not be like Iraq.”
“The media and the left who cry 'endless wars, stop!' – I tell them it's not like in Iraq. (…) We don't need to send 200,000 soldiers and stay there for 20 years. We have proven that we can achieve goals that favor American interests without being such idiots,” the Pentagon chief said.
Asked about a possible ground offensive against Iran, Hegseth said the United States would “go to any length necessary to defend American interests.”
