White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt would not rule out the possibility of the U.S. sending ground troops to Iran, though she said Wednesday it is not being considered at the moment.
During the first White House press briefing since Operation Epic Fury was launched, a reporter asked whether ground troops would be sent into Iran.
“Well, they’re not part of the plan for this operation at this time, but I certainly will never take away military options on behalf of the president of the United States or the commander in chief, and he wisely does not do the same for himself,” Leavitt said.
“I know there’s many leaders in the past who like to take options off of the table without having a full understanding of how things could develop. So, again, 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.”
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Since Saturday, the U.S. and Israel have carried out attacks on Iran using airstrikes and naval attacks, but neither country has put boots on the ground. The attacks that have been carried out thus far have targeted the regime’s security and military infrastructure, including the killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other senior officials.
Leavitt said the U.S. has four main objectives with Operation Epic Fury: eliminate Iran’s ballistic missile threat, destroy its naval capability, disrupt its missile and drone production infrastructure and cut off Iran’s pathway to a nuclear weapon.
The press secretary was asked multiple times if the U.S. wished to see regime change in Iran. She repeated the objectives she previously detailed and reiterated the administration’s stance on the regime.
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“Obviously, as the president has said numerous times, do we want to see Iran being led by a rogue terrorist regime? No, of course not,” Leavitt said.
So far, the U.S. has hit nearly 2,000 targets in Iran, and more than 17,500 Americans have returned to U.S. soil from the Middle East since the operation began.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth gave an operational update earlier on Wednesday, saying he U.S. was “decisively” winning, and later adding that Iran was “toast” and if it didn’t already realize it, it would “soon enough.”
“I stand before you today with one unmistakable message about Operation Epic Fury. America is winning — decisively, devastatingly and without mercy,” Hegseth told reporters at the Pentagon.
“The two most powerful air forces in the world will have complete control of Iranian skies. Uncontested airspace.”
