White House: U.S. ground troops ‘not part of plan’ in Iran

The White House says deploying United States ground troops in Iran is not currently part of the military strategy in the ongoing conflict with Tehran.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said ground forces were “not part of the plan for this operation at this time”, though she did not rule out that options could change as the situation develops.

Her comments come amid continuing U.S.-Israeli air strikes on Iran that began on 28 February. Washington says more than 2,000 targets have been hit so far, and officials claim the joint campaign is moving towards “complete and total control” of Iranian airspace.

Iran has responded with missile and drone attacks against Israel and sites linked to the United States across the Gulf region. The strikes have killed at least six U.S. service members and wounded several others.

Leavitt said President Donald Trump plans to attend the transfer ceremony for the six American troops killed in the attacks.

Meanwhile, at the Pentagon on Wednesday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said that Iran was firing fewer missiles as the war progressed and added that U.S. strikes will now expand inland inside Iran.

"Iran's theater ballistic missile shots fired are down 86% from the first day of fighting, with a 23% decrease just in the last 24 hours. And there one way attack drone shots are down 73% from the opening days," he said.

"This progress has allowed CENTCOM to establish localised air superiority across the southern flank of the Iranian coast and penetrate their defenses with overwhelming precision and firepower. We will now begin to expand inland, striking progressively deeper into Iranian territory and creating additional freedom of maneuver for U.S. forces."

Asked separately about the possibility of U.S. ground forces in Iran, Caine said decisions on troop deployments rest with policymakers, adding that the military’s role is to execute policy rather than determine it.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also added the United States was winning in the war against Iran and that the U.S. military could fight as long as needed.

Hegseth also said the U.S. military said that it killed an Iranian official who headed a unit behind an alleged assassination plot against President Donald Trump but that the target was not the initial focus of the war.

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The Trump administration has defended the air campaign, saying the operation was launched in response to what it describes as cumulative threats from Iran against the United States.

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