President Donald Trump has not dismissed the possibility of deploying American troops to Iran, as he cautions of potential upcoming military actions.
During an interview with the New York Post on Monday, Trump indicated that he would consider sending U.S. forces into Iran if deemed necessary.
“I don’t shy away from the possibility of deploying troops—unlike other presidents who often declare, ‘There will be no boots on the ground.’ That’s not something I say,” Trump remarked.
He added, “I might say, ‘probably don’t need them,’ but if they’re necessary, they’re necessary.”
Trump remained resolute regarding potential political fallout from such a decision, stating, “I don’t care about polling.”
“Whether the polls are favorable or not, I believe they’re likely alright. But polling isn’t the issue. We cannot allow Iran, a nation run by irrational leaders, to possess nuclear weapons,” he emphasized.
In a separate interview with CNN, the president alluded to major forthcoming action in Iran.
‘We haven’t even started hitting them hard,’ the president said. ‘The big wave hasn’t even happened. The big one is coming soon.’
‘I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground,’ Trump told the New York post on Monday, saying he may send ground troops into Iran if ‘necessary’
The US has targeted Iranian missile and nuclear facilities, though some reports out of Iran have indicated that a school was also hit during the operation
President Donald Trump has not ruled out using US military forces on the ground within Iran, but he said he’d only do so if ‘necessary’
The president did not expand on what the ‘big wave’ could entail or whether it would explicitly include sending US ground forces into Iran.
The joint US and Israeli offensive, titled Operation Epic Fury, has resulted in the death of Iran’s longtime leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, scores of top Iranian officials and at least four US service members since early Saturday.
So far, the operation has utilized US air support to bomb Iranian military targets. Should the president send troops into Iran, it would represent the first major troop deployment abroad since the US withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also left the door open to sending US ground forces into Iran during a Pentagon press conference on Monday.
When pressed about whether there are currently troops in Iran, Hegseth responded: ‘No, but we’re not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will not do.’
‘I think it’s one of those fallacies for a long time that this department or presidents or others should tell the American enemies, by the way, here’s exactly what, here’s exactly how long we’ll go, here’s exactly how far we’ll go, here’s what we’re willing to do and not do — it’s foolishness,’ he added.
If Trump does instruct US forces to invade Iran, it would likely prove broadly unpopular.
Just 27 percent of Americans approved of the strikes on Iran, according ot the latest Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted Saturday and Sunday.
Close to half of respondents, 43 percent, disapproved of the strikes, while 29 percent said they were not sure.
General Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, noted on Monday that air superiority has been achieved over Iran.
Strikes by American forces ‘resulted in the establishment of local air superiority. This air superiority will not only enhance the protection of our forces, but also allow them to continue the work over Iran,’ Caine said.
Controlling the skies over Iran would provide significant protection for any potential ground operation within the country.
