President Donald Trump insisted Thursday he has no intention of deploying ground troops to Iran, even as the Pentagon intensifies operations under “Operation Epic Fury.”
Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump stated, “No, I’m not putting troops anywhere,” adding with a touch of his signature style, “If I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you but I’m not putting troops.”
Despite these assurances, the administration’s rhetoric remains ambiguous.
Trump previously told the New York Post, “I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground” refusing to rule out a land invasion if it became “necessary.” This has sparked intense concern on Capitol Hill.
Following a classified briefing, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal warned that the US appears to be “on a path toward deploying American troops on the ground in Iran.”
At the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth described the conflict as a “laser-focused and decisive” campaign to dismantle Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities.
While Trump calls the 22-day conflict an “excursion” that is “substantially ahead of schedule,” the high-intensity air and sea strikes including a Saturday hit on the Natanz nuclear facility suggest a widening war that elite units may yet be called to finish.
