US President Donald Trump said in a statement to the New York Post on Monday that he does not rule out the idea of sending American soldiers to Iran on the ground “if necessary.”
Trump added, “I’m not hesitant about sending ground troops — as every president says, ‘There will be no ground troops.’ I’m not saying that. I’m saying ‘Maybe we don’t need them,’ or ‘If necessary.'”
In a related context, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth stated that the United States did not send any forces into Iranian territory as part of the joint attack with Israel, but he stressed the readiness of the United States to do its utmost in this battle, and indicated that the war that began on Saturday may take about six weeks.
In response to a question about whether American soldiers had entered Iran, Hegseth explained in a press conference, saying: “No, but we will not say what we will or will not do,” then adding: “We will go as far as we need to.”
Regarding the possible duration of the war, he said: “Four weeks, two weeks, six weeks, and it may last more or less than that.”
The Minister of Defense tried to differentiate between the current operation in Iran and the two wars that America fought in Iraq and Afghanistan, stressing that the goal of this war is not to establish a democratic regime in Iran, adding: “There are no stupid rules of engagement, no state-building quagmire, and no practice of building democracy… We are fighting to win and we are not wasting time or lives.”
Over the weekend, American and Israeli forces carried out strikes on Iranian targets, affecting hundreds of sites across the country, resulting in the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials.
