Iran Accuses United States of Planning Ground Offensive as USS Tripoli Arrives in Region

Iran's parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf accused the United States on Sunday of using diplomacy as a cover while secretly preparing a ground offensive against Iran, as the USS Tripoli amphibious assault ship arrived in the Middle East leading a naval group of some 3,500 sailors and Marines. Ghalibaf, speaking in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency, warned that Iranian forces were ready to confront any ground deployment. The accusation came as foreign ministers from Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia gathered in Islamabad for mediation talks aimed at halting a conflict now entering its second month. Israel simultaneously intensified overnight strikes on Tehran, hitting missile and air defense infrastructure as well as the premises of the Qatari television channel Al-Araby. Iran's Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for attacks on two major aluminum smelters in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, citing retaliation for strikes on Iranian industrial infrastructure.

Pentagon weighs special forces raids, not full invasion The Washington Post, citing anonymous American officials, reported that the Pentagon had been drawing up plans for ground operations for several weeks, describing them not as a full-scale invasion but as targeted raids by special forces and other soldiers. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on Friday, March 27, that Washington's war objectives in Iran could be achieved without sending ground troops, though he declined to categorically rule out their deployment. The Wall Street Journal separately reported that up to 10,000 additional US Army infantry may be deployed to the Gulf region. Thousands of US soldiers have already been redeployed from Asia to the Middle East in recent weeks, including Marines from the 31st and 11th expeditionary units and paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division. Whether President Donald Trump would approve any ground operation remains unclear, given his repeated public statements against involving US troops in foreign wars. One potential target discussed in reporting is Kharg Island in the northern Persian Gulf, through which, according to Deutsche Welle, 90 percent of Iran's crude oil exports pass.

„The enemy is publicly sending messages of negotiation and dialogue, while secretly planning a ground offensive.” — Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf via IRNA

„Our men are waiting for the arrival of American soldiers on the ground to attack them and punish their regional allies once and for all.” — Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf via IRNA

Islamabad mediation begins as strikes continue on both sides Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif described his role in the mediation effort as transmitting messages between the parties, with Sunday's Islamabad summit presented as a preparatory step to align positions ahead of any direct talks between Tehran and Washington. The meeting of Turkish, Pakistani, Egyptian, and Saudi officials was scheduled to continue into Monday. Iran's Revolutionary Guards justified their strikes on Aluminium Bahrain and Emirates Global Aluminium by claiming the two companies play an important role in supplying the US military's industrial needs. Two employees were wounded in the attack on Aluminium Bahrain, according to reports. An attack on an American military base in Saudi Arabia also injured approximately 20 people, according to Courrier International. New strikes hit the Iranian port of Bandar Khamir, near the Strait of Hormuz, killing five people and injuring four, according to Iranian state media as relayed by Ha'Aretz.

20 (percent) — share of global oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz before the war

The US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, designated Operation Epic Fury, began on February 28, 2026, with strikes that killed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. His son Mojtaba Khamenei was appointed Supreme Leader on March 9, 2026. Since the start of the conflict, Iran has blocked the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of the world's oil passed before the war, triggering a major energy shock with consequences felt from Bangkok to Berlin, according to Courrier International. The conflict has drawn in regional actors including the Houthis in Yemen, allies of Tehran, and has expanded pressure on Gulf states hosting US military infrastructure.

Israeli PM announces Lebanon security zone expansion amid Syria operation Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that his forces were creating "visible cracks in the terror regime in Tehran" and announced an expansion of Israel's existing security zone in Lebanon to push Hezbollah's anti-tank missile fire further from the Israeli border. The Israeli army reported carrying out an operation from Mount Hermon in Syria into Lebanon, the first such cross-border operation of its kind since the start of the conflict, according to the Lebanese daily L'Orient-Le Jour citing Israeli media Yediot Ahronot. Israeli officials interviewed by the same outlet indicated that the Israeli army would likely remain in the region for months, if not longer. Five people were killed in the Iranian port city of Bandar Khamir during US and Israeli attacks, according to Iranian state media. The New York Times assessed that Iran still possesses a sufficient arsenal of missiles and drones to destabilize the region and inflict significant losses on its adversaries, a judgment echoed by reporting in The Guardian. The conflict, now past its first month, is generating pressure on all parties, with diplomatic and military tracks running simultaneously and in apparent contradiction.

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