Its arrival came as the Washington Post reported that the Pentagon was preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran. US officials have not confirmed whether ground troops will be deployed. Trump told reporters in the Oval Office last week that he was not sending ground troops to Iran, but added: "If I were, I certainly wouldn't tell you." Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, said on Friday that while the US could meet its war objectives without ground troops, Trump had "to be prepared for multiple contingencies". The US had already deployed several military assets to the Middle East as part of its campaign against Iran.

Source: The Star March 29, 2026 15:43 UTC