A report suggests that the operation against Iran will not be limited to air strikes but could involve ground forces as well.
NBC News published a story on Friday suggesting that President Trump is “privately” flirting with the idea of putting American troops in Ira, citing two unnamed government officials.
The idea of a troop presence in Iran would not be a full-scale ground invasion but a “small” number of forces used for strategic purposes.
From NBC:
President Donald Trump has privately expressed serious interest in deploying U.S. troops on the ground inside of Iran, according to two U.S. officials, a former U.S. official and another person with knowledge of the conversations.
Trump has discussed the idea of deploying ground troops with aides and Republican officials outside the White House while outlining his vision for a post-war Iran in which Iran’s uranium is secure and the U.S. and a new Iranian regime cooperate on oil production similar to how the U.S. and Venezuela are, the sources said.
The president’s comments expressing serious interest in deploying ground troops have not focused on a large-scale ground invasion of Iran, but rather on the idea of a small contingent of U.S. troops that would be used for specific strategic purposes, the U.S. officials, the former U.S. official and the person with knowledge of the discussions said.
They said Trump has not made any decisions or given any orders related to ground troops.
The White House responded to NBC’s report with disdain.
“This story is based on assumptions from anonymous sources who are not part of the President’s national security team and are clearly not read into these discussions,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to NBC News.
“President Trump always, wisely keeps all options open, but anyone trying to insinuate he is in favor of one option or another proves they have no real seat at the table.”
Trump previously did not rule out the idea of ground forces during an interview with The New York Post earlier this week, though his words suggested that he just did not want to tip his hand regarding future operations.
“I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground — like every president says, ‘There will be no boots on the ground.’ I don’t say it,” Trump told the Post.
“I say, ‘probably don’t need them’ or ‘if they were necessary.’”
Moreover, Trump on Friday ruled out negotiating with Iran to end the war. Instead, he has demanded the regime’s “unconditional surrender.”
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