AP Photo/Matt Locke
president Donald Trump The United States has privately expressed “very strong interest” in deploying U.S. troops in Iran, NBC News reported Friday, citing multiple current and former officials familiar with the discussions.
According to reports, Trump raised the possibility of sending a limited number of U.S. troops to Iran while talking to aides and Republican allies outside the White House.
Sources said the talks were not focused on a full-scale invasion but on deploying smaller forces for “specific strategic purposes,” such as securing uranium stockpiles or conducting targeted military operations.
Officials told NBC News that Trump has not yet made any final decisions or issued orders on the possible deployment.
white house press secretary Caroline Levitt In a statement to NBC, Trump dismissed the report, saying it relied on speculation from people outside the government’s inner circle.
“This story is based on assumptions from anonymous sources who are not part of the president’s national security team and apparently were not involved in these discussions,” Levitt said. “President Trump has always been wise to keep all options open, but anyone who tries to suggest he supports one or the other is proving they have no real seat at the table.”
Publicly, Trump has avoided ruling out “ground troops”, although the conflict has so far remained an air campaign. However, he told the New York Post this week that the United States “probably” won’t need them unless things change.
Iran has said it would respond aggressively to any such move. iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi Tehran told NBC News on Thursday that Tehran is ready if the United States sends troops.
“We are waiting for them,” Araghchi said. “We’re confident we can play against them and it would be a huge disaster for them.”
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