...
By Steve Mollman
News Editor
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
President Donald Trump indicated on Monday that he wouldn’t rule out sending ground troops into Iran, a message echoed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. A day earlier, Senator Lindsey Graham, a strong Trump ally, said repeatedly on Meet the Press that the U.S. wouldn't have boots on the ground in Iran.
Why It Matters
The mixed messaging suggests Republican leaders are not entirely on the same page regarding the Iran War. Trump campaigned on an America First promise not to start new wars, and polling shows strong voter opposition to sending troops into Iran.
Read More on News
Newsweek reached out to Graham and the White House on Monday for comments.
What to Know
The U.S. and Israel launched coordinated strikes across Iran in “Operation Epic Fury” early Saturday morning, with the Islamic Republic launching retaliatory strikes across the Middle East. The operation killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and many other senior leaders that same day.
Trump said the strikes were meant to cripple Iran’s nuclear and missile capabilities and urged Iranians to “seize control of your destiny” and “take over your government.”
He also warned that more U.S. casualties were likely after several servicemembers were killed in combat.
So far, the U.S. has focused mostly on aerial attacks, but Trump told the New York Post on Monday: “I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground—like every president says, ‘There will be no boots on the ground.’ I don’t say it. I say, ‘probably don’t need them,’ [or] ‘if they were necessary.’”
Hegseth also didn’t rule out ground troops. Asked at a Monday press conference whether the U.S. currently has ground troops in Iran, he said: “No, but we’re not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will not do. I think it’s one of those fallacies for a long time that this department or presidents or others should tell the American enemies, by the way, here’s exactly what, here’s exactly how long we’ll go, here’s exactly how far we’ll go, here’s what we’re willing to do and not do—it’s foolishness.”
Trump’s negotiation style has long been to keep the other side guessing, so declining to rule out ground troops fits in with that.
Meanwhile Graham—whose push for Iran regime change drew heavy criticism from the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk—repeatedly emphasized no ground troops on Meet the Press.
“Our job is to make sure Iran is no longer the largest state sponsor of terrorism, to help the people reconstruct a new government, no boots on the ground,” he said at one point.
Later, he said, “America First is not to get entangled. We’re not going to have any boots on the ground in Iran.”
He repeated it again while making reference to Mohammed bin Salman, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia: “I talked to the Crown Prince. He’s got some ideas about transition. There will be no American boots on the ground. This is not Iraq. This is not Germany. This is not Japan. We’re going to free the people up from the terrorist regime.”
According to polling, Americans largely oppose sending troops into Iran. A CNN/SSRS poll released on Monday showed that 60 percent oppose it and 28 percent are unsure, with just 12 percent in favor.
What People Are Saying
Blackwater founder Erik Prince on Steve Bannon's War Room podcast on Sunday: "I don't think a regime has ever been changed by airpower alone. It's wishful thinking.” He added in a message to Trump, "Don't ever contemplate ground troops in Iran."
Ian Bremmer, founder of Eurasia Group, on X: "Militarily, the Americans can act with impunity. Globally, there’s no one remotely close. The question isn’t whether they can strike. It’s whether regime change from the air actually works."
Former Iranian hostage Barry Rosen (held from 1979 to 1981) to CBS on Monday: "Trump knows that right now that he has not degraded Iran to a situation where Iran will give up. The only way anything can happen like that is boots on the ground, and the American people will not stand for it, and many in Congress will not stand for it, and many of his own supporters will not support that."
Trump to the Post on Monday: "We're right on schedule, way ahead of schedule in terms of leadership—49 killed—and that was, you know, going to take, we figured, at least four weeks, and we did it in one day."
What Happens Next
During the same press briefing with Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine said more U.S. personnel are being deployed to the Middle East to aid in the effort. He did not indicate how many or what they would do.
"We expect to take additional losses," he added, "and as always, we will work to minimize U.S. losses."
...
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines