ISLAMABAD: The White House has said that deploying United States ground troops into Iran is not part of the current military strategy, but officials have deliberately avoided ruling out the possibility as the conflict continues to evolve.
According to international media reports, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that while the deployment of US ground forces is not under consideration at present, the administration does not want to limit options available to President Donald Trump.
“It’s not part of the current plan, but I’m not going to remove an option for the president that is on the table,” she said during a media briefing on Wednesday.
Leavitt said the administration was intentionally avoiding categorical statements on Iran to preserve flexibility in a rapidly changing security environment. She added that previous administrations had sometimes restricted their strategic options by ruling out potential actions too early.
The remarks came during the first White House briefing since the launch of Operation Epic Fury, a joint United States–Israel military campaign that began on Feb 28.
The operation involves air and naval strikes targeting Iran’s military and security infrastructure. US officials say the campaign has focused on degrading Iran’s ballistic missile capability, weakening its naval forces, disrupting missile and drone production facilities and blocking Tehran’s path to developing nuclear weapons.
According to the White House, nearly 2,000 targets have been struck so far, and US forces are moving toward gaining control of Iranian airspace.
Since the beginning of the operation, neither Washington nor Israel has deployed ground troops, relying instead on airpower and naval capabilities.
However, the possibility of deploying US troops has emerged as a key question as tensions escalate. President Trump earlier declined to completely rule out the option.
“Like every president says, ‘There will be no boots on the ground’. I don’t say it,” Trump told The New York Post. “I say ‘probably don’t need them,’ or ‘if they were necessary’.”
At the Pentagon, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine also avoided discussing the possibility of troop deployment, saying such decisions fall under the authority of policymakers.
The conflict has triggered debate in the US Congress, where several lawmakers have raised concerns that the United States could become involved in a prolonged war.
Senator Richard Blumenthal said he was “more fearful than ever” after attending a classified briefing on the operation, warning that American troops could eventually be required to achieve the administration’s objectives.
He said lawmakers still lacked clarity about the long-term goals of the strategy, including whether the focus was on dismantling Iran’s nuclear programme, targeting missile capabilities or pursuing broader political change in Tehran.
Other Democratic lawmakers, including Elizabeth Warren and Chris Murphy, also expressed concerns that the conflict could lead to further casualties and escalate into a wider war.
Meanwhile, Republican lawmaker James Comer said most members of Congress hoped ground troops would not be required but acknowledged the possibility could not be entirely dismissed.
The Trump administration maintains that the current strategy relies on air and naval power, but officials have deliberately kept the option of deploying ground forces open as the situation continues to develop.