President Donald Trump’s White House is considering deploying thousands of U.S. troops amid the ongoing war in Iran, Reuters reports on Wednesday, adding that sources do not believe ground forces in Iran would be imminent.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Any move to insert U.S. ground forces—whether to secure maritime traffic at the world’s most critical oil chokepoint or control Iranian energy or nuclear-related sites—would escalate the scope and risks of a war already disrupting global energy supplies and raising domestic political stakes for Trump.
Spikes in oil and gas prices along with threats to energy infrastructure across the region underscore how securing the Strait of Hormuz and nearby facilities has become central to both the war’s trajectory and its global economic fallout.
What To Know
According to Reuters, citing three people and a U.S. official familiar with the matter, the possibilities include potential missions to secure “safe passage for oil tankers” in the strait and potentially to Iran’s Kharg Island.
Securing the strait could mean troops on the shoreline in Iran, four sources, including two U.S. officials, told Reuters. One official also told the news outlet that sending ground troops to Kharg Island would pose a risk, as Iran could reach the island with drones and missiles.
Another reported possibility for U.S. troops is to seize Iran’s stock of highly enriched uranium, per the Reuters report, citing one person familiar with the issue.
“There has been no decision to send ground troops at this time, but President Trump wisely keeps all options at his disposal,” a White House official told the outlet on condition of anonymity.
“The president is focused on achieving all of the defined objectives of Operation Epic Fury: destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capacity, annihilate their navy, ensure their terrorist proxies cannot destabilize the region, and guarantee that Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon.”
The U.S. military said it has conducted thousands of strikes since February 28 and damaged or destroyed numerous Iranian vessels. The war has resulted in the death of 13 American soldiers and about 200 injures, Reuters says.
Jeff Stein, reporter for The Washington Post, on X Wednesday said the Pentagon purportedly asked the White House for an additional $200 billion for Iran war operations.
What People Are Saying
Trump, on X Wednesday night: “Israel, out of anger for what has taken place in the Middle East, has violently lashed out at a major facility known as South Pars Gas Field in Iran. A relatively small section of the whole has been hit. The United States knew nothing about this particular attack, and the country of Qatar was in no way, shape, or form, involved with it, nor did it have any idea that it was going to happen. Unfortunately, Iran did not know this, or any of the pertinent facts pertaining to the South Pars attack, and unjustifiably and unfairly attacked a portion of Qatar’s LNG Gas facility. NO MORE ATTACKS WILL BE MADE BY ISRAEL pertaining to this extremely important and valuable South Pars Field unless Iran unwisely decides to attack a very innocent, in this case, Qatar – In which instance the United States of America, with or without the help or consent of Israel, will massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars Gas Field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before.
“I do not want to authorize this level of violence and destruction because of the long term implications that it will have on the future of Iran, but if Qatar’s LNG is again attacked, I will not hesitate to do so. Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DONALD J. TRUMP”
Congressman Ted Lieu, California Democrat, on X Wednesday: “I am a hard NO on any additional funding to the Department of Defense until trump stops violating the Constitution and submits an authorization for the use of military force on Iran for Congress and the American people to consider.”
What Happens Next
Congress faces the prospect of a high-cost supplemental request for the war even as public support has lagged.
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