U.S. President Donald Trump stated that the United States could send ground troops to Iran "if necessary." He made this remark in an interview with The New York Post on March 2.

"I have no concerns about sending troops. Usually, presidents say, 'No ground troops.' I won't say that. I'll say, 'Probably they won't be needed' or 'if they are necessary,'" the White House leader noted.

In the interview, Trump also revised his estimate of the war's potential duration. Previously, in an interview with The Daily Mail, he said the conflict would last "about four weeks." Now, the president stated that the operation is ahead of schedule: he claimed that 49 high-ranking Iranian leaders have been eliminated, which was expected to take at least a month.

Speaking at a White House ceremony honoring military personnel, Trump emphasized that the army is ready to continue combat operations "as long as it takes."

"Initially, we predicted four to five weeks, but we have capabilities for a much longer period," he said.

The president outlined four goals of the military campaign: weakening Iran's missile capabilities, destroying the country's naval fleet, preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and containing its proxy forces abroad by halting their arming and financing.

In an interview with CNN, Trump added that the army is delivering a "devastating blow" to Iran, but a "big wave" of attacks is still ahead. He also confirmed that Washington is taking additional steps to help the Iranian people "take control of the country from the regime," while urging citizens to stay home due to unsafe conditions.

Source: kun.uz