On Friday, Marco Rubio deemed it possible for the United States to achieve their goals in Iran within two weeks, without sending troops on the ground. However, the American administration continues to vacillate on this scenario. This was reported by the Washington Post on Saturday, March 28.
The capital’s newspaper reveals that the Pentagon is gearing up for operations lasting several weeks on the ground in Iran. These operations would not lead to a large-scale invasion of the country, as American officials emphasized anonymously, but would involve raids in Iranian territory by both special forces members and other soldiers.
One of the targets repeatedly mentioned is Iran’s stock of enriched uranium that Tehran is accused of amassing. According to the Washington Post, it was unclear on Saturday whether Donald Trump would approve all, part, or none of the Pentagon’s plans. Nonetheless, Tehran is convinced of an imminent attack. “The enemy is publicly sending messages of negotiation and dialogue, while secretly planning a ground offensive,” stated parliament president Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in a statement relayed by the official Irna news agency.
The American newspaper’s information comes at a time when the United States’ posture in the Middle East conflict is being bolstered by the arrival of the amphibious assault ship Tripoli in the region, as announced by the American military on Saturday. This aircraft carrier leads a naval group comprising around 3,500 sailors and Marines, according to the US Central Command.
For several weeks, Donald Trump has maintained a certain ambiguity about this possibility; several American media outlets have recently reported that the American president is considering sending at least 10,000 troops to the Middle East soon.
