President Trump has privately expressed ‘serious interest’ in deploying US soldiers to Iran, according to military sources.
Trump has told White House advisors that he will need troops on the ground to complete his ‘vision’ for a post-war Iran, which he hopes to control in a similar way to Venezuela, insiders told NBC News.
US officials, who were not named, told the outlet that Trump is not focusing on a full-scale invasion of Iran, but instead would want a small contingent of troops to deploy for strategic purposes.
The conflict has so far involved only air and naval munitions and deploying troops on the ground in Iran would be the first time the US has done so since withdrawing from Afghanistan in 2021.
Trump is said to be emboldened by the speed and efficiency of his operation in Venezuela in January, which saw US forces capture President Nicolas Maduro and take control of its oil reserves.
This week the US leader said he ‘must be’ involved in picking late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s replacement after he was killed seven days ago, but said he would accept a non-democratic choice so long as they are amicable to the US and Israel.
The White House denied that Trump was planning on sending US soldiers to Iran, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying the report is, ‘based on assumptions from anonymous sources who are not part of the President’s national security team and are clearly not read into these discussions.’
‘President Trump always, wisely keeps all options open, but anyone trying to insinuate he is in favor of one option or another proves they have no real seat at the table,’ Leavitt said.
President Trump has privately expressed ‘serious interest’ in deploying US soldiers on the ground in Iran , according to military sources
Central Tehran was rocked by a huge explosion Friday morning as the US-Israeli alliance dropped a huge payload on the Moqaddad base of the Revolutionary Guards
It comes as hostilities in the Middle East threatened to spiral out of control on Friday as Iran launched a barrage of missile and drone strikes on its Gulf neighbors, before Israel fired a fresh wave of attacks on Tehran overnight.
Despite the White House’s denials, Trump has publicly flirted with deploying US troops to Iran, telling the New York Post this week: ‘I don’t have the yips with respect to boots on the ground.’
The president has struggled to maintain support among his conservative base since launching strikes one week ago, with many supporters reacting with fury at the reports he was considering deploying soldiers.
Megyn Kelly, a leading figure on the right expressing opposition to war, reacted with disdain on social media to the reports and said: ‘I honestly can’t believe we’re doing this again.’
While the White House attempted to shut down reports that soldiers could be deployed, Trump has made no indications that he is looking to scale back the conflict.
On Friday, the president said he was no longer interested in negotiating with Tehran, and said the only way for them to bring the war to a close was ‘unconditional surrender.’
Trump also warned that the barrage of over 3,000 missiles and drones launched by US forces in the past seven days may only be the start, as he said he was preparing a mega-attack that he dubbed ‘the big one.’
American B-2 and B-52 bombers arrived in the UK on Friday evening after Prime Minister Keir Starmer U-turned and allowed UK bases to be used by Trump – raising the specter of an imminent bombardment in Iran.
A US B-1 aircraft was pictured arriving at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire on Friday evening, where it is expected to be joined by more stealth bombers, including B-2s and B-52s
Smoke and flames rise following an Israeli airstrike on Dahieh, in Beirut, South Lebanon on March 6, 2026
The strategic bombers, costing up to $2 billion each, can carry out long-range missions without detection while carrying the world’s most devastating missiles.
Sources have suggested that Saturday could be D-day for a new gigantic bombardment – exactly a week after America and Israel first attacked Iran as part of ‘Operation Epic Fury.’
Trump said: ‘We haven’t even started hitting them hard. The big wave has not even happened.’
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also said the use of British RAF bases will allow the US to ‘dramatically’ ramp up its strikes on Iran, saying: ‘When we say more to come, it’s more fighter squadrons, it’s more capabilities, it’s more defensive capabilities, and it’s more bomber pulses more frequently.’
Oil prices have skyrocketed since the start of the conflict, and are on track for their largest weekly jump since early 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Trump was looking at ‘unsanctioning’ Russian oil to boost supplies.
‘We may unsanction other Russian oil,’ Bessent told Fox Business on Friday.
‘There are hundreds of millions of sanctioned barrels of sanctioned crude on the water, and in essence by unsanctioning them, Treasury can create supply.’
Bessent made the suggestion after the Treasury Department said it was granting India a 30-day license to buy Russian oil and he said the White House is ‘going to keep a cadence of announcing measures to bring relief to the market during this conflict.’
Smoke billows from Tehran on Friday evening following a fresh wave of Israeli strikes
Mehrabad International Airport was on fire on Friday night after being hit by an airstrike
The White House has denied reports that the president is considering boots on the ground in Iran. Pictured: Soldiers participate in training exercises at Lightning Academy at Schofield Barracks in Honolulu, Hawaii, US
The tit-for-tat strikes across the Middle East escalated Friday evening after Iran sent a barrage of retaliatory fire to a number of its Gulf neighbors.
Attacks were launched at Iraq, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Israel throughout the evening, striking oil facilities and airports while many were intercepted.
Nine out of ten drone attacks launched towards Qatar were intercepted, with the tenth striking an uninhabited area, the country’s Ministry of Defense said, while also confirming no injuries were caused.
Four drones heading towards the Shaybah oil field in Saudi Arabia were intercepted and destroyed over the Empty Quarter desert, officials confirmed.
A network of Iranian-backed Shia factions, Islamic Resistance in Iraq, claimed it launched an attack on a US military base near Baghdad Airport ‘in retribution’ for the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was killed last Saturday.
Meanwhile, Israel and Iran have continued to exchange fire overnight, with the IDF confirming it had launched a fresh wave of attacks against ‘terror targets’ in the Dahiyeh District of Beirut, Lebanon, as the war enters its eighth day.
In Iran, the Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran was set ablaze after being hit by one of Israel’s airstrikes, and explosions were reported across the capital.
