When US President Donald Trump casually broached the idea of a US “footprint” on Iran, he openly challenged a long-standing presidential taboo. As the United States and Israel continued to attack Iran, President Trump declared, “As every president says, ‘There are no boots on the ground,’ but I don’t say that.”
But while Washington’s political rhetoric hints at a large-scale conflict, military experts argue that the reality in Iran’s rugged terrain will be very different from a traditional invasion.
Military and strategic analyst Colonel Nidal Abu Zaid told Al Jazeera that the US is unlikely to be considering a traditional ground invasion with groups of tanks or infantry, but rather a different pattern of warfare.
“Put boots on the ground” and “pick up” operations
In an interview with the New York Post on Monday, President Trump left the door open to the arrival of ground forces while expressing confidence in the current air operation, dubbed “Operation Epic Fury.”
“I don’t have the yips about wearing boots on the ground, as every president says, ‘There are no boots on the ground.’ I didn’t say that,” Trump said in response to the airstrike that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and dozens of other officials. “I say, ‘Maybe we don’t need them,’ (or) ‘If we did.'”
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth echoed this sentiment at a Pentagon press conference, confirming that there are currently no U.S. troops in Iran, but leaving options open. “We don’t need to get 200,000 people there and have them stay for 20 years,” Hegseth said.
According to Abu Zayed, Hegseth and Trump’s comments are consistent with what is known militarily as a “pickup” or selective operation. This involves limited efforts by special forces to infiltrate specific locations to carry out precise sabotage or intelligence-gathering missions, and then quickly escape.
Citing Iran’s complex geopolitical environment, rugged geography, and population density, Abu Zayed said traditional invasions to seize territory are not viable, all of which give Tehran a distinct defensive advantage. He noted that Israel has also previously declared ground operations in Iran to be unrealistic.
Nuclear pretexts and changing timelines
President Trump said the decision to launch a joint U.S.-Israel strike was made after “final talks” in Geneva broke down on Thursday. He claimed the trigger was intelligence indicating that Iran had secretly moved its nuclear enrichment program “to a completely different location.”
Last June, President Trump claimed that known Iranian nuclear facilities had been “destroyed” by a U.S. strike known as “Operation Midnight Hammer.” “Then we discovered that they were working in a completely different region, a completely different place, to make nuclear weapons through enrichment. So it was just time,” Trump said.
President Trump said the operation is “well ahead of schedule.” President Trump, who initially estimated the war would last about four weeks, said the primary objective of eliminating the leadership (killing 49 senior officials) was achieved in one day.
But Abu Zayed pointed out that Trump’s initial reference to a four-week schedule was not just operational. It is tied to US domestic law. The U.S. Constitution limits the president’s power to wage war for longer than 30 days without Congressional approval, making the “four week” period an important legal and political calculation.
Missile War and Naval Propaganda
The Iranian government continues to retaliate as Iran’s chain of command suffers a severe blow. At least six U.S. service members have died in combat during the conflict with Iran, according to the U.S. military.
At the same time, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) claimed to have fired four cruise missiles at the US aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln, which is stationed near Iranian waters. Abu Zayed dismissed the claims as media “propaganda” aimed at targeting the morale and prestige of the U.S. military.
He explained that the carrier is protected by an advanced RIM-116 rolling airframe missile system capable of high-altitude interception and is supported by a layered defense umbrella from escorting destroyers. Furthermore, US reconnaissance aircraft, especially AWACS early warning aircraft, maintain constant surveillance, and the likelihood of an undetected missile launch is extremely low.
Spokesman Abu Zeid said that approximately 72 hours after the start of the clash, Iranian missile attacks were observed to have decreased to a moderate intensity level. He attributed this decrease to the possible destruction of Iranian launch platforms. Higher estimates suggest that Iran has around 3,000 ballistic missiles, but relies on only a few hundred launchers. In missile warfare, the destruction of the platform is as important as the depletion of the missile stockpile itself.
Domestic backlash
Despite his military momentum, President Trump faces skepticism at home. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that only 27% of Americans supported the attack, while a CNN/SSRS poll found support at 41%.
President Trump dismissed the numbers, claiming that a “silent majority” supported pre-emptive action to stop “crazy people” from acquiring nuclear weapons, and cited Iran’s 47-year history of hostility, including the 1979 embassy hostage crisis and the 1983 Beirut barracks bombing.
Meanwhile, Abu Zayed said U.S. and Israeli intelligence may have underestimated Iran’s ability to quickly repair its chain of command. By adopting the principle of “centralized planning and decentralized execution,” Iran managed to absorb the initial shock and maintain a barrage of missiles despite intense electronic jamming and technological superiority by the United States.
However, how long Iran can maintain this “fire and flood” strategy remains a crucial question. The clock continues to tick for both sides, with President Trump boasting that he completed a four-week process of beheading leaders in one day. After all, the next phase of this war may not be determined by whether tens of thousands of American troops march across Iranian soil, but by which side runs out of time and launch pads first.
