President Donald Trump is not ruling out sending U.S. ground troops into Iran, but he told reporters on Saturday that he won’t ask Kurdish fighters to join the war. “I have ruled that out. I don’t want the Kurds going in. I don’t want to see the Kurds get hurt and killed,” Trump said. “They’re willing to go in, but I’ve told them I don’t want them going in. The war’s complicated enough without getting the Kurds involved.” The Trump administration has expressed confidence that it can achieve its goals in Iran without American boots on the ground but has so far refused to take the option off the table. Asked what circumstances would prompt the deployment of U.S. ground troops, Trump said, “I don’t think it’s an appropriate question.””I would say, if we ever did that, they would be so decimated that they wouldn’t be able to fight at the ground level,” Trump added. Trump was asked about his next steps after attending the dignified transfer of six U.S. service members killed during the conflict in the Middle East. Trump joined grieving families at Dover Air Force Base on Saturday, saluting flag-draped cases carrying the remains of those soldiers. At a separate event before the ritual, Trump said the six service members were “great heroes.” He said death is a part of war, but “we’re going to keep it to a minimum.” U.S. and Israel continued strikes on Iran this weekend after Tehran rejected Trump’s demand for “unconditional surrender.” On Sunday, Iran’s president threatened to step up attacks on American targets throughout the Middle East. “Our Iran, our country, will not bow easily in the face of bullying, oppression or aggression — and it never has,” President Masoud Pezeshkian said in video comments.In a separate address on Saturday, Pezeshkian apologized to neighboring countries for Iranian attacks, but hours later, several Arab nations reportedly intercepted Iranian missiles and drones. Hardliners in Tehran insisted that their war strategy hadn’t changed.The Iranian Red Crescent Society said on Sunday that U.S. and Israeli strikes have damaged about 10,000 civilian structures across the country. The Pentagon has said that the U.S. is targeting military sites, not civilians. On Saturday, Trump blamed Iran for the deadly explosion last weekend at an Iranian girls’ school that reportedly killed more than 165 people. That’s despite evidence reviewed by the Associated Press suggesting it was likely a U.S. airstrike. “They’re very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever. It was done by Iran,” Trump said. The Pentagon is currently investigating the attack. Human Rights Watch is calling for a war crime investigation. “A prompt and thorough investigation is needed into this attack, including if those responsible should have known that a school was there and that it would be full of children and their teachers before midday,” said Human Rights Watch researcher Sophia Jones.
President Donald Trump is not ruling out sending U.S. ground troops into Iran, but he told reporters on Saturday that he won’t ask Kurdish fighters to join the war.
“I have ruled that out. I don’t want the Kurds going in. I don’t want to see the Kurds get hurt and killed,” Trump said. “They’re willing to go in, but I’ve told them I don’t want them going in. The war’s complicated enough without getting the Kurds involved.”
The Trump administration has expressed confidence that it can achieve its goals in Iran without American boots on the ground but has so far refused to take the option off the table. Asked what circumstances would prompt the deployment of U.S. ground troops, Trump said, “I don’t think it’s an appropriate question.”
“I would say, if we ever did that, they would be so decimated that they wouldn’t be able to fight at the ground level,” Trump added.
Trump was asked about his next steps after attending the dignified transfer of six U.S. service members killed during the conflict in the Middle East. Trump joined grieving families at Dover Air Force Base on Saturday, saluting flag-draped cases carrying the remains of those soldiers.
At a separate event before the ritual, Trump said the six service members were “great heroes.” He said death is a part of war, but “we’re going to keep it to a minimum.”
U.S. and Israel continued strikes on Iran this weekend after Tehran rejected Trump’s demand for “unconditional surrender.” On Sunday, Iran’s president threatened to step up attacks on American targets throughout the Middle East.
“Our Iran, our country, will not bow easily in the face of bullying, oppression or aggression — and it never has,” President Masoud Pezeshkian said in video comments.
In a separate address on Saturday, Pezeshkian apologized to neighboring countries for Iranian attacks, but hours later, several Arab nations reportedly intercepted Iranian missiles and drones. Hardliners in Tehran insisted that their war strategy hadn’t changed.
The Iranian Red Crescent Society said on Sunday that U.S. and Israeli strikes have damaged about 10,000 civilian structures across the country. The Pentagon has said that the U.S. is targeting military sites, not civilians.
On Saturday, Trump blamed Iran for the deadly explosion last weekend at an Iranian girls’ school that reportedly killed more than 165 people. That’s despite evidence reviewed by the Associated Press suggesting it was likely a U.S. airstrike.
“They’re very inaccurate, as you know, with their munitions. They have no accuracy whatsoever. It was done by Iran,” Trump said.
The Pentagon is currently investigating the attack. Human Rights Watch is calling for a war crime investigation.
“A prompt and thorough investigation is needed into this attack, including if those responsible should have known that a school was there and that it would be full of children and their teachers before midday,” said Human Rights Watch researcher Sophia Jones.
