The Pentagon is reportedly preparing weeks of ground operations in Iran to target nuclear sites and reopen the Strait of Hormuz after its blockade triggered historic disruption in global oil markets.
The Washington Post, citing multiple U.S. officials, reported that the plans could involve Special Operations and conventional forces conducting limited strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and other strategic positions along the Strait of Hormuz, including Kharg Island.
Whether President Donald Trump would authorize the operations remains uncertain.
“It’s the job of the Pentagon to make preparations in order to give the commander in chief maximum optionality,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement provided to Military Times. “It does not mean the president has made a decision.”
The news comes after the U.S. Marines and sailors assigned to the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group arrived in U.S. Central Command waters on Friday, joining more than 3,500 troops recently deployed to the region.
U.S. Sailors and Marines aboard USS Tripoli (LHA 7) arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, March 27. The America-class amphibious assault ship serves as the flagship for the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group / 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit composed of about… pic.twitter.com/JFWiPBbkd2
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 28, 2026
The Pentagon has confirmed that elements of the 82nd Airborne Division headquarters and a brigade combat team are scheduled to deploy to the Middle East.
In response to reports of potential U.S. ground operations, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, speaker of Iran’s parliament, said Sunday. “As long as the Americans seek Iran’s surrender, our response is that we will never accept humiliation.”
He said Iranian forces are waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground “to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever.”
“Our firing continues. Our missiles are in place. Our determination and faith have increased,” he added.
Qalibaf also criticized a 15-point U.S. plan recently passed to Iran through Pakistan, calling it “their wishes” and accusing the Trump administration of attempting through diplomacy what it has failed to achieve by force.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard on Sunday warned it would target American and Israeli educational facilities in the region after Iranian universities and research centers were struck in recent days.
Israel’s military has acknowledged the attacks, saying the institutions were linked to weapons development.
🚨🚨🚨 Images of the US attack on one of Iran’s oldest and most prestigious universities, the University of Science and Technology. https://t.co/HV1jm1nxaU pic.twitter.com/b49TE31xUH
— IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) (@iribnews_irib) March 29, 2026
“If the U.S. government wants its universities in the region spared, it should condemn the bombardment of (Iranian) universities by 12 o’clock Monday, March 30, in an official statement,” the Guard said in a statement reported by Iranian state media.
Several American universities, including Georgetown, New York University and Northwestern, maintain campuses in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
