Trump: ‘I’m not putting troops’ on the ground in Middle East

U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a press conference at Trump National Doral in Miami, Florida, on March 9, 2026. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images)

During an Oval Office meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi earlier on Thursday, President Donald Trump addressed mounting speculation regarding a ground invasion in the Middle East.

When asked by reporters if he intended to send more military personnel to the region, President Trump was direct, saying, “No. I’m not putting troops anywhere.”

This clarification comes nearly three weeks into Operation Epic Fury, the high-intensity air and naval campaign by the United States and Israel — targeting both Iranian leadership and the country’s infrastructure.

While Trump emphasized his desire to avoid the “forever wars” he criticized on the campaign trail, he also maintained a level of strategic ambiguity, noting that he retains the authority to deploy forces if necessary but refuses to “telegraph” specific tactical moves to the media.

But] if I were, I certainly wouldn’t tell you. But I’m ​not putting troops,” he added.

In a recent update, the Pentagon confirmed the deployment of an amphibious ready group (ARG) and a Marine expeditionary unit (MEU), according to the Wall Street Journal, which typically includes around 5,000 Marines and multiple naval vessels. 

The president maintained an optimistic outlook on the conflict, maintaining that Operation Epic Fury has successfully met its primary objectives of degrading Iran’s military infrastructure. This progress, he hinted, appears to indicate that the intensive combat phase is nearing its conclusion.

“It’s going to be over with very soon,” Trump reiterated on Thursday. “We’ve obliterated their — just about everything there is to obliterate, including leadership. Their navy’s gone, their air force is gone, their anti-aircraft equipment is gone, we’re flying wherever we want, we have nobody even shooting at us.”

A recent Ipsos poll for the Quincy Institute found that 58% of Trump 2024 voters opposed sending U.S. troops to Iran, while 41% supported it. However, a major driver of this sentiment was the economy, as 55% of respondents expressed worry that the ongoing conflict is “driving up gas prices.”