Trump Says No Ground Troops for Iran War—But Keeps Door Open for Raids
President Trump says he has no plans to deploy ground troops to Iran, but leaves room to reverse course as U.S.-Israel strikes escalate; Washington is weighing major ground actions such as seizing Kharg Island or the Isfahan underground nuclear site, moves likely to require troops. The Pentagon has asked for about $200 billion to fund war operations, with early-week costs already in the tens of billions, while roughly 50,000 U.S. troops are in the region and 2,500 Marines were redeployed from the Indo-Pacific, signaling a potentially longer, higher-stakes conflict.