U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday that sending American ground troops into Iran would be a “waste of time,” as the conflict involving Israel, the United States, and Tehran continued to escalate.
“It’s a waste of time,” Trump told NBC News in a telephone interview. “They’ve lost their navy. They’ve lost everything they can lose.”
Trump’s remarks came as fighting intensified across the region. Heavy strikes were reported in Tehran on Friday after Israel said it had begun targeting “regime infrastructure” in what Israeli officials described as a “new phase” of the war against Iran.
Iran responded with a missile barrage that triggered explosions across Tel Aviv. Firefighters battled a blaze at a residential building near Israel’s commercial centre following the strikes.
Israel has also expanded its military campaign against Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group based in Lebanon. Israeli officials vowed retaliation after Hezbollah joined the conflict following the killing on Saturday of Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The conflict has also begun to affect security arrangements beyond the Middle East. NATO secretary general Mark Rutte said Thursday that the alliance remained vigilant after Iran fired a ballistic missile toward NATO member Turkey.
“NATO air missile defence was able to take it out,” Rutte told Reuters. “It also shows you that we, with a 360-degree approach, will defend every inch of NATO territory. Our military is constantly on it.”
In Washington, Trump also secured political backing for continuing military operations against Iran. The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday rejected a bipartisan resolution that sought to limit the president’s authority to wage war against Tehran.
The measure, introduced by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie and Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna, would have required Trump to obtain congressional authorization before continuing military action. The resolution failed by a vote of 219 to 212.
Following the vote, Trump suggested that Washington should play a role in shaping Iran’s future leadership after Khamenei’s death.
“We want to go in and clean out everything,” the president said. “We don’t want someone who would rebuild over a 10-year period. We want them to have a good leader. We have some people who I think would do a good job.”
