President Donald Trump says the US is considering "winding down" operations against Iran, but that other nations must guard the Strait of Hormuz.
"We are getting very close to meeting our objectives as we consider winding down our great Military efforts in the Middle East with respect to the Terrorist Regime of Iran," he says.
Turning to the Strait of Hormuz, Trump then says it "will have to be guarded and policed, as necessary, by other Nations who use it, The United States does not!"
"If asked, we will help these Countries in their Hormuz efforts, but it shouldn’t be necessary once Iran’s threat is eradicated.
He added, "You don’t do a ceasefire when you are literally obliterating the other side."
US military officials are making detailed preparations for the possibility of deploying ground troops into Iran, the BBC's US partner CBS reports, citing multiple unnamed sources briefed on the discussions.
Senior Pentagon officials are making specific requests to plan for such a move, CBS reports.
The planning includes conversations about how the US would handle the detention of Iranian soldiers if there were US troops in the country, CBS cites two of the officials as saying.
