WASHINGTON: The administration of Donald Trump is deliberately avoiding firm commitments on the possibility of deploying US ground troops to Iran, saying it does not want to limit the president’s flexibility as the conflict intensifies.
At a White House briefing on Wednesday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said sending American forces into Iran is not part of the current strategy but stopped short of ruling it out.
“It’s not part of the current plan, but I’m not going to remove an option for the president that is on the table,” she said, suggesting that previous administrations had sometimes constrained themselves by dismissing potential actions too early.
Her comments came during the first briefing since the launch of “Operation Epic Fury,” a joint US-Israeli campaign of air and naval strikes that began on Feb 28. The operation has targeted Iranian military and security infrastructure and reportedly killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei along with several senior commanders.
So far, Washington and Israel have relied on airpower and naval assets, with no ground troops deployed. Leavitt said the campaign aims to neutralise Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities, dismantle its naval strength, disrupt missile and drone production facilities, and block Tehran’s path to a nuclear weapon. She added that nearly 2,000 targets had been struck and claimed the US was moving toward “complete and total control” of Iranian airspace.
President Trump himself has declined to categorically reject the use of ground forces. In an interview with The New York Post, he said, “I don’t say there will be no boots on the ground. I say ‘probably don’t need them’ — or ‘if they were necessary’.”
At the Pentagon, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine avoided speculation, saying decisions about troop deployments rest with policymakers.
The growing confrontation has sparked debate in Congress, where lawmakers from both parties have voiced concern about a prolonged war. Senator Richard Blumenthal said he was “more fearful than ever” after attending a classified briefing, warning that US troops might ultimately be required to meet the administration’s objectives.
He also questioned whether the long-term goal was dismantling Iran’s nuclear programme, limiting its missile capabilities, pursuing regime change, or countering terrorism.
Other Democrats echoed those concerns. Senator Elizabeth Warren criticised the administration for launching the campaign without demonstrating an imminent threat, while Senator Chris Murphy warned of potential American casualties, calling the situation “as serious as it gets.”
Some Republicans have also acknowledged that ground forces cannot be entirely ruled out. Representative James Comer said most lawmakers hoped to avoid such a scenario but conceded it might become unavoidable.
For now, officials maintain that the strategy depends on air and naval power. However, by refusing to definitively rule out “boots on the ground,” the administration appears intent on preserving both military and diplomatic flexibility as the conflict unfolds.