Trump Admin Reportedly Making ‘Heavy Preparations’ for Putting Boots on the Ground in Iran

(AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

The Pentagon is making “heavy preparations” for deploying American troops on the ground in Iran as President Donald Trump continues to weigh his options, according to a bombshell CBS News story.

“Senior military commanders have submitted specific requests aimed at preparing for such an option as President Trump weighs moves in the U.S.-Israel-led conflict with Iran,” Jennifer Jacobs, James LaPorta, and Eleanor Watson reported on Friday afternoon. “Mr. Trump has been deliberating whether to position ground forces in the region, sources said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. It was unclear under what circumstances he would authorize the use of troops on the ground.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt commented on the matter by saying, “It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the Commander in Chief maximum optionality, it does not mean the President has made a decision, and as the President said in the Oval Office yesterday, he is not planning to send ground troops anywhere at this time.”

Axios’s Barak Ravid and Marc Caputo had reported on Friday morning that the administration was “considering plans to occupy or blockade Iran’s Kharg Island to pressure Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz,” and noted that “Such an operation, if approved, would also require more troops.”

“Three different Marine units are on their way to the region. The White House and the Pentagon are considering sending even more troops soon,” noted Ravid and Caputo.

On Thursday, Trump told reporters that he wasn’t “putting troops anywhere,” before adding the caveat that if he was going to do so, he “certainly wouldn’t tell” the press.

“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,” said Trump back on March 2, shortly after the start of Operation Epic Fury in Iran.

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