Trump says U.S. ground troops in Iran ‘possible’
WASHINGTON— The war between the United States and Iran entered its ninth day on Sunday, with President Trump saying deploying American ground troops to the Middle East was on the agenda and Iran’s foreign minister rejecting calls for a ceasefire; There is no clear path to de-escalation.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Saturday, Trump refused to rule out sending US forces to Iran, saying it “could probably happen” as the conflict intensifies.
“There must be a very good reason,” Trump said. “If we do this, they will be decimated and I would say they won’t be able to fight at ground level.”
While Trump has focused on sending ground troops to the widening conflict, Iran has signaled it is not ready to stop the war and said it would be ready to fight American troops if they land in the country.
“We have very brave soldiers waiting to fight, kill and destroy every enemy that enters our territory,” Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said. he said in an interview Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Araghchi added that Iran is not considering a ceasefire at the moment. He said the United States and Israel must first explain “why they launched this aggression” and then guarantee that the war will end permanently.
“As long as we don’t get to this point, I think we need to continue fighting for our people and our security,” he said.
Araghchi also turned down Trump’s request last week that he be involved in determining Iran’s future leadership as part of a condition for ending the conflict.
“We do not allow anyone to interfere in our internal affairs. It is up to the Iranian people to choose their new leader,” Araghchi said. “This is only the business of the Iranian people and no one else.”
It remains unclear as of Sunday who will replace Iran’s former leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (86), who was killed in American and Israeli attacks on the first day of the war. But the religious body that will choose Iran’s next religious leader appears close to reaching a majority consensus on its selection. According to various reports.
Trump said last week that the former leader’s son, Mojtaba Khamenei, would be an “unacceptable” choice.
While the end of the war remains uncertain, actions on the battlefield continue to have an economic impact domestically, especially on oil prices.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Galibaf said, “If the war continues like this, there will be no way to sell oil, nor will there be the opportunity to produce it.” he said in a social media post. Sunday. He added that the war would affect not only the United States but also the rest of the world. [Benjamin] Netanyahu’s dreams,” referring to the Israeli prime minister.
Israeli strikes on Sunday hit an oil storage facility in Tehran; This marks the first time a civilian industrial facility has been targeted in the war.
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Sunday that there is currently a “fear premium in the market” and sought to reassure Americans that rising oil prices are a short-term problem.
“We never know the exact time frame for this.” Wright said in an interview: on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “But in the worst case it’s a week, this isn’t a month-long thing.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt echoed the same assurances. in an interview Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” calls rising gas prices a “short-term disruption.”
“Eventually removing the rogue Iranian regime will be a good thing for the oil industry,” Leavitt said. “These prices will fall again, as they did last year, due to President Trump’s agenda for American energy dominance.”
The attack on the oil storage facility came as Netanyahu promised “many surprises” for the next phase of the conflict.
Iran also struck a desalination plant in Bahrain, and the U.S. airstrike damaged Iran’s desalination plan on Qeshm Island, a critical source of drinking water in the arid deserts of the gulf, according to Araghchi.
“Attacking Iran’s infrastructure is a dangerous move with grave consequences. This precedent was set by the United States, not Iran,” Araghchi wrote in a post on X.
The United States has come under scrutiny after evidence suggested an American strike was likely responsible for an explosion at an Iranian primary school that killed more than 165 people, mostly children.
Trump administration officials said the matter was being investigated and no determination had been made as to who was responsible for the attack. But on Saturday, Trump said Iran was responsible for the explosion.
“Iran did this,” Trump told reporters. “As you know, they are very wrong about ammunition. They have no accuracy. Iran did this.”
Asked on Sunday whether Iran had any evidence that the attack was carried out by Americans, Araghchi said the attack must have been carried out by the US or Israeli military and said Trump’s claim that Iran was responsible for the attack was “ridiculous”.
“This is our school, these are our students and our girls, and they were attacked and killed by an American warplane, a jet fighter. Why?” [is] Is Iran responsible? Araghchi said.
