Yahoo – Iran warns US against ground offensive as troops amass in region
Iran on Sunday warned the United States against launching a ground offensive as Washington sends growing numbers of troops to the region and after reports of a planned invasion.
“Do not doubt for a moment the resolve of our soldiers,” Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammed Bagher Ghalibaf said, according to the state news agency IRNA.
Iran is certain that it can punish the US and make it repent so that it will no longer dare to attack the country, he said, adding that they are in the midst of a “major world war.”
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned Washington of the consequences of a possible ground offensive for US troops.
“[US President Donald] Trump would, with such an action, throw US troops to the sharks in the Persian Gulf,” the IRGC said in comments to state broadcaster IRIB.
The elite forces described Trump as a “dishonest person lacking mental stability” and said he was directly responsible for the current crisis and the resulting damage.
Ghalibaf also expressed scepticism about attempts at mediation, saying the US may have signalled a willingness to negotiate, but was secretly planning a ground offensive.
The US military said on Saturday that additional sailors and marines had arrived in the Middle East aboard the USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship.
The forces joined thousands of US marines already deployed to the Middle East as part of a massive military build-up ahead of the Iran war, which began with US-Israeli attacks on the country on February 28.
On Sunday, US media then reported that the US military has drawn up plans for a possible ground operation in Iran.
The potential ground offensive would involve combined operations by regular infantry and special forces, but is not intended to be a full-scale invasion, the Washington Post reported, citing US officials. The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of such an operation, according to the newspaper.
A ground operation would mark an escalation into a dangerous new phase of the conflict, as US soldiers on the ground would be exposed to considerably greater dangers than before, such as fire from Iranian drones and missiles, combat and improvised explosive devices, the report said.
It was unclear whether US President Donald Trump will approve the plans.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that up to 10,000 additional US troops who may be deployed to the Gulf region are likely to be infantrymen.
The Washington Post sources, who spoke anonymously about the highly sensitive military plans, said preparations for a possible ground offensive have been ongoing for weeks.
Axios also reported recently on military plans that envisage the deployment of ground troops, alongside bombing raids, for a “final strike” to end the war on Iran.
The reports came as the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey travelled to Pakistan for a planned two days of talks on Sunday and Monday on de-escalating the war.
Pakistan, which shares an around 900-kilometre-long border with Iran, has offered to act as a mediator for negotiations to end the conflict.
Pakistan’s foreign minister said on Saturday that Iran had agreed to allow additional Pakistani-flagged vessels to pass through the vital Strait of Hormuz, in what observers saw as a confidence-building measure within the framework of mediation efforts.
German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Friday that preparations were under way for a direct meeting between representatives of the US and Iran, which could take place “fairly soon at short notice in Pakistan.”
Fighting continued in the region on Sunday as the Israeli military reported attacks on Tehran and other targets.
Iran’s Fars news agency, which is linked to the IRGC, reported missiles striking a residential area to the south of Tehran. Ten people died in the attack, including six Afghan migrants, Fars said.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported on Saturday that the attacks on Iran over recent days had been the heaviest since the current war began on February 28. It said 74% of the attacks had targeted the Tehran region.
The organization put the death toll thus far at 3,400, including at least 1,500 civilians.
Iranian forces also continued attacks on Israel, where air raid sirens were heard in cities in the south. Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency medical service said there were no reports of injuries. Iranian media confirmed the attacks.
Israeli media reported that the attacks had targeted Dimona in the Negev desert, where Israel’s nuclear reactor is located.
The United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states continue to face Iranian attacks – launched in retaliation for the US-Israeli offensive.
The UAE’s Defence Ministry reported that the country’s air defences had intercepted 16 missiles and 42 drones on Sunday.
The country has repelled Iranian attacks involving more than 410 missiles, 1,900 drones and 15 cruise missiles since the war began four weeks ago, it said. So far, 11 people have been killed, including two soldiers, and around 180 others injured.
The armed forces in the small Gulf state of Bahrain reported that 170 missiles and 390 drones have been intercepted there to date.
In Bahrain, as in Kuwait, warning sirens sounded again on Sunday due to ongoing attacks.
An attack on an army base injured 10 soldiers in Kuwait. The military reported 14 “hostile” missiles and 12 drones in Kuwaiti airspace within 24 hours.
Saudi Arabia’s Defence Ministry said Sunday that 10 drones had been intercepted and destroyed during the night and early hours of the morning.
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