President Donald Trump is secretly considering options for deploying a large-scale U.S. ground force deep into Iranian territory, according to two current U.S. officials, two former officials, and a source with direct knowledge of internal discussions. The goal is clear: to expedite the end of the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, recover Iran’s highly enriched uranium, and тιԍнтen its vital oil supply – all to force Tehran to make concessions.

Any move to send ground troops into Iran carries enormous risks, but also holds potential strategic value: it could bring a faster end to a war that is ravaging the world. Currently, Trump is under pressure from three dimensions: a worsening global energy crisis, fierce political backlash from within his own ranks in the U.S., and deepening conflicts with his Middle Eastern allies.

The options being discussed are very specific and bold:

Deploying special forces to Iranian ports or small islands in the Gulf to liberate the Strait of Hormuz – a vital shipping lane carrying 20% ​​of the world’s oil.
A raid to recover Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpiles.
Seizing key oil facilities to cut off the regime’s finances and force them to the negotiating table.

All options are not on the scale of the Iraq or Afghanistan wars. They could involve mobilizing a few hundred special forces soldiers for a few hours (like the operation to capture Nicolas Maduro) or a few thousand troops for a few weeks. NBC News previously revealed that Trump had expressed “serious interest” in private conversations about sending US ground troops to Iran.
Publicly, Trump has remained ambiguous. On Thursday, he told reporters: “No, I’m not sending troops anywhere. If I were, I wouldn’t tell you, but I’m not sending troops.” White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly stated, “The President has no plans to deploy troops, but he is wise not to disclose military strategy to the media.”

However, the reality on the battlefield tells a different story. The U.S. currently has approximately 50,000 troops in the Middle East. In the coming days, thousands more Marines and sailors will be urgently reinforced. Pentagon leaders say that U.S.-Israeli airstrikes and missile attacks over the past three weeks have “significantly weakened” Iranian forces, making the deployment of ground troops “less risky” than in the early stages of the war.

Even so, the risks remain extremely high. Joe Costa, Director of the Forward Defense program at the Atlantic Council, warned: “Every option is dangerous and could result in casualties for American soldiers. Putting ‘boots on the ground’ is far more dangerous than pure airstrikes.”

To date, 13 American soldiers have been killed since the war broke out on February 28. The latest intelligence indicates that if the US sends troops into Iran, Iranian-backed militias will immediately target US bases in the region.
Tensions between the US and Israel are also becoming apparent. Israel recently launched a unilateral attack on Iran’s largest gas field, prompting Iran to retaliate by attacking Qatari energy facilities – enraging Doha. Trump subsequently posted on social media that Israel would no longer attack Iranian energy facilities, claiming the US had “no prior knowledge” of the attack. Prime Minister Netanyahu responded: “Israel acted alone.” Trump later admitted to speaking with Netanyahu and ordered: “Don’t do it again.”

All these conflicts are unfolding against a backdrop of a shaken global economy. Oil prices are soaring, gasoline prices are skyrocketing, and the threat of an energy crisis worse than the 1970s hangs in the balance.

Trump is at a historical crossroads: either he seeks to end the war with a decisive ground strike, or he allows the conflict to drag on, at an increasingly high cost for both the US and the world.

The biggest question now is not whether Trump will send troops into Iran – but rather: if he does, will it be a turning point leading to peace, or merely the trigger for a darker new chapter of the Middle East conflict in 2026?