Few qualified analysts would argue that it would be anything other than utterly insane for the U.S. to initiate a ground war against Iran at this point—but don’t rule it out on those grounds. Centcom announced that the USS Tripoli assault ship has now entered Centcom’s area of responsibility, although its exact location is not known. Some reports put it in the vicinity of Diego Garcia. And according to the Washington Post, Pete Hegseth’s Department of War is drafting plans for weeks of potential ground operations, focusing on “limited raids,” such as seizing Kharg Island, rather than a full-scale invasion.
Iranian authorities announced that they are preparing for a ground war, if necessary. Reuters reported that “Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf accused the U.S. of sending messages about possible negotiations while secretly planning to send in its ground forces, adding that Iran was ready to respond if U.S. troops deployed. ‘As long as the Americans seek Iran’s surrender, our response is that we will never accept humiliation,’ he said in a message to the nation.”
