Pentagon prepares for weeks of ground operations in Iran: Report

The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, US officials told The Washington Post, as thousands of American soldiers and Marines arrive in the Middle East for what could become a 'dangerous' new phase of the war should President Donald Trump choose to escalate.

Any potential ground operation would fall short of a full-scale invasion and could instead involve raids by a mixture of Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops, said the officials, as per the post. All spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss highly sensitive military plans that have been in development for weeks.

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"Such a mission could expose US personnel to an array of threats, including Iranian drones and missiles, ground fire and improvised explosives. It was unclear Saturday whether Trump would approve all, some or none of the Pentagon’s plans."

Discussions within the administration over the past month have touched upon the possible seizure of Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil export hub in the Persian Gulf, and raids into other coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz to find and destroy weapons that can target commercial and military shipping, officials said. One person, as per the report, said that the objectives under consideration would probably take “weeks, not months” to complete. Another put the potential timeline at “a couple of months.”

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The Trump administration has in recent days alternated between saying the conflict is easing and warning of escalation. While the US president has indicated an interest in negotiating a settlement, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that if Tehran’s leadership does not abandon its nuclear programme and stop threatening the United States and its allies, Trump is “prepared to unleash hell” against them.