With the Iran conflict nearing the one-month mark, the prospect of a US ground incursion is looking increasingly plausible.
The US Department of War is reportedly drafting plans for weeks of potential ground operations in Iran
Iranian officials have issued stark warnings in response.
Vowing fierce retaliation, Parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran is prepared for the arrival of American troops.
He said: Iranian forces “are waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever”.
RT reports: Meanwhile, Iran claims it inflicted major damage on US military assets in the region. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said its Air Force carried out a missile-drone strike on Saudi Arabia’s Al-Kharj Air Base, destroying at least one Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS surveillance aircraft.
US media reports and circulating images suggest a $270 million aircraft was destroyed, several others damaged, and at least 12 American troops injured, though the Pentagon has not confirmed the scale of the reported losses.
At the same time, The Washington Post reported that the US Department of War is drafting plans for weeks of potential ground operations. Officials cited by the outlet said any mission would likely involve limited raids rather than a full-scale invasion, with possible objectives including seizing Kharg Island, a key Iranian oil export hub.
Here are the latest developments:
- The IRGC threatened to target two unnamed US- and Israeli-linked educational facilities unless Washington formally condemns Israel by 12:00 PM Tehran time on Monday, March 30, while Iran’s Foreign Ministry accused the US and Israel of deliberately targeting the country’s scientific and cultural infrastructure, citing strikes on major universities in Isfahan and Tehran.
- Yemen’s Houthis, who only recently declared their entry into the conflict, said they launched a second wave of missile and drone attacks on Israel and vowed to continue operations until Israeli actions cease.
- Protests against the war were reported in Tel Aviv and cities across the US and Europe, while in Lebanon crowds gathered in Beirut after three journalists were killed in what was described as a targeted Israeli strike.