The U.S. Department of Defense is reportedly preparing for a "multi-week ground operation" in Iran.

The U.S. Washington Post reported on the 28th, citing anonymous American officials, that the Pentagon is preparing for “multi-week ground operations” in Iran.

The report believes that any potential ground operation would not be a full-scale invasion, and could be launched as a coordinated raid by special operations forces and conventional infantry units. Such a mission could expose U.S. forces to a range of threats from Iranian drones and missiles, ground fire, and improvised explosive devices.

The report said it is still unclear to what extent U.S. President Trump would approve the Pentagon’s action plan. If he “chooses to escalate the operation,” this would mark the war entering a “dangerous new phase,” and its danger to U.S. forces could be much higher than in the prior four weeks.

The U.S. military has been deploying ground combat forces to the Middle East from multiple locations in recent days. Military experts say that if it evolves into ground operations, both the intensity of the conflict and the level of casualties would rise to a “completely different level.”

After attending the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in France on the 27th, U.S. Secretary of State Rubio said the United States can still achieve its military objectives toward Iran without sending ground forces, including destroying Iran’s missile and drone capabilities. He said the United States has recently added and deployed thousands of troops to the Middle East region, aiming to give the president options to respond to unexpected developments.

（Source: Xinhua News Agency）