Former US President Donald Trump has dismissed the possibility of deploying American ground troops to Iran, describing the move as unnecessary amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Speaking in a telephone interview with NBC News on Thursday, Trump said considering a ground invasion at this stage would be “a waste of time,” arguing that Iran had already suffered significant military losses.
“It’s a waste of time. They’ve lost everything. They’ve lost their navy. They’ve lost everything they can lose,” Trump said.
His comments came in response to remarks by Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, who earlier warned that any attempt by the United States or Israel to launch a ground invasion would end in disaster for invading forces.
Trump dismissed the warning, calling the statement a “wasted comment.”
The former president also suggested he would prefer a swift restructuring of Iran’s leadership rather than a prolonged transition.
“We want to go in and clean out everything quickly. We don’t want someone who would rebuild over a 10-year period,” he said.
Trump further claimed he had ideas about who could lead Iran in the future but declined to reveal specific names.
Earlier in the week, he indicated he would need to be involved in determining Iran’s next leadership after reports that Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed during the opening phase of the conflict.
The fighting reportedly began on Saturday with joint strikes by the United States and Israel against Iranian targets.
Meanwhile, fresh attacks were reported in Tehran on Friday, as Israel announced it was targeting what it described as “regime infrastructure” in what officials called a new phase of the ongoing war against Iran.
The developments mark a significant escalation in the conflict, raising concerns about further instability across the Middle East.
