Iran says it's 'waiting' for a possible U.S. ground assault as 3,500 troops arrive in Middle East

Iran has said it is ready to face U.S. troops on the ground, accusing Washington of secretly planning an assault while seeking negotiations to end the war.“The enemy, openly, sends messages of negotiation and dialogue, but secretly is planning a ground attack,” Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, said on Sunday, according to state media outlet IRNA and state-affiliated Tasnim

Iran has said it is ready to face U.S. troops on the ground, accusing Washington of secretly planning an assault while seeking negotiations to end the war.

“The enemy, openly, sends messages of negotiation and dialogue, but secretly is planning a ground attack,” Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf, said on Sunday, according to state media outlet IRNA and state-affiliated Tasnim.

The U.S. is “unaware that our men are waiting for American soldiers to enter on the ground so they can set them ablaze and punish their regional partners forever,” he added.

His comments came hours after The Washington Post reported that the Pentagon has drawn up plans for weeks of ground operations in Iran short of a full-scale invasion, even as President Donald Trump and key White House figures signal they want to soon draw the conflict to a close. NBC News has not confirmed the report.

Asked Sunday night aboard Air Force One in West Palm Beach, Florida, whether he was considering putting boots on the ground, Trump said he still has “lots of alternatives" but did not elaborate.