Trump NOT RULING OUT American troops on the ground in Iran, expects 4-5 week campaign

President Donald Trump said he isn’t ruling out sending U.S. troops to Iran, stating that “Operation Epic Fury” was ahead of schedule, he said in an exclusive interview to the New York Post.

“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,” Trump told the newspaper. ““I say ‘probably don’t need them,’ [or] ‘if they were necessary.'”

Trump said the operation followed earlier U.S. action — which he previously referred to as “Operation Midnight Hammer” — that destroyed key Iranian nuclear facilities. According to the president, Iran ignored warnings not to rebuild its nuclear program and continued pursuing nuclear weapons while expanding its ballistic missile capabilities.

He argued that Iran’s rapidly growing missile program, already capable of striking Europe and U.S. bases overseas, was nearing the ability to reach the U.S. homeland. Trump said the missile buildup was designed to shield Iran’s nuclear development and make it more difficult for the international community to stop.

“An Iranian regime armed with long-range missiles and nuclear weapons would be an intolerable threat,” Trump said, adding that the United States itself was “very nearly under threat.”

Trump said the campaign followed months of rising tensions and failed nuclear negotiations, sharply criticizing the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal and asserting that Tehran repeatedly backed out of agreements.

He outlined four primary objectives:

Destroy Iran’s missile capabilities and its capacity to manufacture new missiles
Target Iranian military assets, including naval vessels
Ensure Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon
Prevent Iran from funding and directing proxy militant groups abroad

Trump said U.S. forces were already ahead of schedule in meeting operational goals. Military planners initially projected the campaign would last four to five weeks, he said, but he emphasized the timeline is flexible.

https://thenationaldesk.com/ne....ws/americas-news-now

#trump #iran #military #epicfury #politics #middleeast #conflict
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