Pentagon Gears Up for Extended Ground Ops in Iran
It is reported on Saturday that the Pentagon is gearing up for weeks of ground operations in Iran, according to US officials. The plans may encompass operations conducted by Special Operations forces alongside traditional infantry units, as reported. According to the Post, it remains uncertain whether President Donald Trump would approve any of those plans. The Trump administration has dispatched US Marines to West Asia as the conflict in Iran enters its fifth week, and is also preparing to send thousands of soldiers from the US Army’s 82nd Airborne to the area.
Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Friday that the United States could achieve its objectives in Iran without deploying any ground troops and anticipated that the operation would conclude within weeks, despite the recent deployment of additional forces to the region. Rubio stated that the US was meeting its goals in the conflict, which he identified as dismantling Iran’s missile and drone capabilities, along with the factories responsible for producing those weapons, as well as its navy and air force. He anticipated that the operation would conclude in “weeks, not months. “We are ahead of schedule on most of them, and we can achieve them without any ground troops, without any,” Rubio said.
Rubio stated that the recent deployment of thousands more troops to the region aimed to provide President Donald Trump with options to address contingencies in the conflict, yet he refrained from discussing operational specifics. Regarding the rationale behind deployments, the primary consideration is that the President must be ready for various contingencies… “We are always going to be prepared to give the president maximum optionality and maximum opportunity to adjust the contingencies, should they emerge,” he stated.
