WASHINGTON, 30 March. - (ANA) - The US Department of Defence is planning a potential ground operations in Iran that could last weeks as thousands of US troops deploy to the region, The Washington Post reported on Saturday.

 

Citing US officials speaking on condition of anonymity, the US newspaper said the plans focus on limited but high-risk ground raids rather than a full-scale invasion.

 

Any operation would likely involve "raids by a mixture of Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops", exposing US personnel to Iranian drones, missiles, ground fire and improvised explosive devices.

 

The plans have been under development for weeks, officials said, with Trump yet to decide whether to approve all, some or none of the options presented to him.

 

The preparations come as thousands of US soldiers and Marines arrive in the Middle East, signalling a possible shift towards a more dangerous phase of the war.

 

Internal discussions within the administration over the past month have focused on potential targets for such operations, including Iran’s Kharg Island, the country’s main oil export hub in the Gulf, and other coastal areas near the Strait of Hormuz.

 

Officials said raids could aim to locate and destroy weapons capable of targeting commercial and military shipping.

 

One official told WaPo that the objectives under consideration could take "weeks, not months" to complete, while another estimated a possible timeline of "a couple of months".

 

The risks associated with such operations remain significant, with US troops likely to face Iranian drones, missiles and entrenched ground resistance. The prospect of deploying forces on Iranian soil marks a sharp escalation and could expose US personnel to sustained retaliatory attacks.

 

Military analysts have warned that even limited operations could prove difficult to sustain.

 

Michael Eisenstadt, director of the Military and Security Studies Program at the pro-Israeli Washington Institute for Near East Policy, cautioned against prolonged deployments in exposed locations such as Kharg Island.

 

"I just wouldn’t want to be in that small place with Iran’s ability to rain down drones and maybe artillery", he told WaPo.

 

Instead, Eisenstadt argued that shorter, mobile raids targeting coastal military infrastructure would be more effective. "Agility is part of your force protection, if they are moving and doing raids, in and out", he added.

 

A former senior US defence official familiar with the plans said they have been extensively developed and tested through simulations. "We’ve looked at this. It’s been war-gamed. This is not last-minute planning", the official said.

 

While seizing Iranian territory could provide leverage in future negotiations and embarrass Tehran, the official stressed that holding such territory would present the greatest challenge.

 

"You’ve got to provide cover for the people on Kharg Island", the official said. "That’s the difficult task. Seizing it is not difficult. Protecting your guys once they are there is."

 

Despite the detailed planning, public messaging from Washington has remained mixed. While Trump has signalled openness to negotiations, his administration has also issued renewed threats.

 

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president is "prepared to unleash hell" if Tehran does not abandon its alleged nuclear ambitions and halt supposed threats against the United States and its allies.

 

"It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the Commander in Chief maximum optionality. It does not mean the President has made a decision," she added.

 

At the same time, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the conflict "is not going to be a prolonged conflict" and that Washington "can achieve all of our objectives without ground troops".

 

Trump himself has publicly denied any intention to deploy ground forces, telling reporters: "I’m not putting troops anywhere. If I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you, but I’m not putting troops."   - (ANA) -

 

AB/ANA/30 March 2026 - - -