Trump Reportedly Expressed ‘Serious Interest’ in Deploying Ground Troops to Iran

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

President Donald Trump has privately expressed “serious interest” in deploying U.S. troops on the ground in Iran, according to a Friday report from NBC News citing multiple current and former officials familiar with the discussions.

According to the report, Trump has floated the possibility of sending a limited number of American troops into Iran while speaking with aides and Republican allies outside the White House.

The conversations, sources said, have centered not on a full-scale invasion but on deploying a smaller contingent of forces for “specific strategic purposes,” such as securing uranium stockpiles or carrying out targeted military operations.

Trump has not made any final decisions or issued orders regarding a potential deployment, officials told NBC News.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the report in a statement to NBC, saying it relied on speculation from people outside the administration’s inner circle.

“This story is based on assumptions from anonymous sources who are not part of the President’s national security team and are clearly not read into these discussions,” Leavitt said. “President Trump always, wisely, keeps all options open, but anyone trying to insinuate he is in favor of one option or another proves they have no real seat at the table.”

Publicly, Trump has avoided ruling out “boots on the ground” even as the conflict has so far remained an air campaign. In an interview with the New York Post this week, though, he said that the U.S. would “probably” not need them unless circumstances change.

Iran has already signaled it would respond aggressively to any such move. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told NBC News on Thursday that Tehran is ready if the United States sends troops.

“We are waiting for them,” Araghchi said. “We are confident that we can confront them, and that would be a big disaster for them.”

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