Iran has responded to the possibility of the conflict escalating with American troops on the ground.
Fighting involving Iran, the US and Israel is approaching a second month, and there is still no clear indication of when the situation will de-escalate.
At present, Israel and the US have carried out missile strikes inside Iran, while Iran has retaliated with attacks targeting US bases in nearby countries.
Even so, concerns remain that the confrontation could intensify rather than wind down.
Reports suggest the Pentagon is drawing up options that could include ground activity, with thousands of US soldiers and Marines having deployed to the Middle East.
Officials speaking to The Washington Post said a full-scale US invasion is not seen as likely. Instead, any action under consideration could focus on ‘raids by a mixture of Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops’.
Iran, however, has signaled how it would respond if American troops were to enter.
According to a BBC report, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has said the country’s forces are ‘waiting for American soldiers to enter on the ground so they can rain fire upon them.”
He also stated that ‘the enemy signals negotiation in public, while in secret it plots a ground attack’ and added that on the subject of Iran’s surrender, Iran’s message is ‘clear’ and it will not accept ‘humiliation’.
In Washington, the White House has maintained that no final call has been made on the prospect of a ground invasion. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump has not reached a definitive decision.
She told The Post: “It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the Commander in Chief maximum optionality. It does not mean the President has made a decision.”
Despite the anxiety that the conflict could drag on or deepen, a separate claim has emerged from within the White House about Trump’s attention to the issue.
Speaking to MS Now, one official alleged Trump is getting ‘bored’ and now ‘wants to move on’ from the war, describing what they believe is his current mindset.
They said: “[Trump] is getting a little bored with Iran. Not that he regrets it or something — he’s just bored and wants to move on.”
They added that Trump’s comments that the war is won is ‘mostly hyperbole’ and ‘It’s part [of Trump] just wanting to declare victory and move on.”