US President Donald Trump on Sunday suggested that American ground troops could potentially be sent into Iran if there was what he described as a “very good reason”, adding that such an operation would leave Iranian forces unable to recover or fight the US military.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump declined to directly confirm whether a ground invasion was under consideration. He said he did not want to discuss the issue and described it as an inappropriate question, but indicated that such a move could be possible if there was a strong justification. He added that if the United States ever deployed ground forces in Iran, the country’s military would be so heavily damaged that it would not be capable of continuing to fight at the ground level.
Trump also dismissed the possibility of negotiations with Tehran. He said the United States was not seeking a settlement, even though Iran might want one. According to Trump, Iran’s leadership had already been severely weakened and many of its leaders were being eliminated, adding that the situation could reach a point where there might be no one left to formally surrender.
His remarks came days after he declared that it was “too late” for talks with Iran and demanded unconditional surrender to end the ongoing US and Israeli military campaign that began on February 28.
The strikes have reportedly killed several senior Iranian officials, including Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi, chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces, General Mohammad Pakpour, commander in chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Brigadier General Mohammad Shirazi, head of the military office, Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh, defence council secretary Ali Shamkhani, and Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Trump also said the United States had not discussed asking Kurdish forces to launch an invasion of Iran. He noted that the option had not been considered yet but said it might be discussed at some point. For now, he said, US forces were focused on continuing strikes that were severely weakening Iran’s military.
Meanwhile, Iran has moved closer to appointing a new supreme leader following Khamenei’s death. Reports suggest that his influential son Mojtaba Khamenei could emerge as the successor. Israel has previously warned that it would target any future leader who replaces Khamenei.
