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'Planning a ground invasion in secret': Iran's parliament speaker lashes out at US amid ceasefire talks

On March 29, 2026, the Israeli newspaper Israel Hayom published 'Planning a ground invasion in secret': Iran's parliament speaker lashes out at US amid ceasefire talks. The page does not name a reporter. Israel Hayom publishes in English. The piece puts an Iranian accusation of a secret ground invasion next to reports of US Marines and paratroopers already in the region. A family should care because one side is warning that American soldiers may be sent in on the ground, while the article itself says the reported movement would fall short of a full-scale invasion.

Background for new readers: On 28 February 2026 the United States and Israel began a joint air war on Iran. The Pentagon calls its part Operation Epic Fury; Israel calls its part Operation Roaring Lion. It came eight months after a shorter war in June 2025, when US bombers hit Iran's nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan. The question running through this section is whether the air war turns into American soldiers fighting on Iranian soil. This article is filed under Americans on Iranian Soil; the full article index lists every article on this shelf.

Evidence rating: MODERATE. The rating covers two things on the page: the accusation by Iran's parliament speaker, and the New York Post report, relayed by Israel Hayom, that US troop movements were under consideration, short of a full-scale invasion. The troop numbers are secondhand.

What the article says​

The article says talks aimed at lowering the fighting were underway in Islamabad, and that ceasefire contacts had taken place between Iran and the United States, including an American proposal. It says Iranian parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf (also spelled Qalibaf), a former Revolutionary Guard commander and a possible negotiating partner for Washington, accused the US of talking about negotiations in public, but planning a ground invasion in secret. A parliament speaker presides over the legislature. The photo caption also shows him in an IRGC uniform. The IRGC is the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an Iranian military force separate from the regular army.

The article says a regional diplomatic source told Israel Hayom that Iran had formally asked the US for a full ceasefire, and had asked for about five to seven days to answer the American proposal, with the fighting stopped during that time. The article says the US denied that request.

Against the arrival of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, Ghalibaf warned that armed Iranian forces are waiting for US ground troops to arrive, and that Iran would punish their regional partners as well. A Marine Expeditionary Unit is a Marine force that travels on Navy ships and can land from the sea. The article is quoting his warning. It is not reporting that a landing had started.

The article says the New York Post reported that the troop movement would fall short of a full-scale invasion, but would still put American service members at risk from Iranian weapons. It says that last week about 10,000 additional troops were under consideration for the Middle East, to widen President Donald Trump's military options.

The potential reinforcement would build on nearly 5,000 Marines and sailors and roughly 2,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division already deployed in the region.

Israel Hayom, March 29, 2026.

The 82nd Airborne is a US Army unit of paratroopers kept ready to move on short notice. The article says where US troops would land remained unclear. It says joint air strikes had hit both Tehran and military sites closer to the Gulf, including Kharg Island, an Iranian island.

What other reporting adds​

Ghalibaf's words, in another Israeli outlet. The Times of Israel, citing Iran's official IRNA news agency the same day, quoted him: "The enemy publicly sends messages of negotiation and dialogue while secretly planning a ground attack," and "Our men are waiting for the arrival of the American soldiers on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional allies once and for all." (see Pentagon said prepping weeks-long ground operation in Iran). Al Jazeera, quoting the Tasnim agency, rendered the second line as "set fire to them" (see Ghalibaf: US planning ground invasion).

Other Iranian officials said the same thing. Two days later, a post quoted an Iranian ambassador, not named in the capture: "Let them come, we are ready. They won't be able to attack us & flee like they do in fighter jets. We welcome them" (Osint613 on X, 31 March 2026; research capture: twitter/t49__v577.md). Four days later, Ghalibaf claimed about seven million Iranians had volunteered to fight a US ground invasion, a figure the Associated Press said it could not source (see Iran's parliament speaker claims 7 million volunteers).

What it shows​

Israel Hayom set an Iranian accusation of a secret ground invasion beside an American newspaper's report of troop movements under consideration. Both point the same way: toward American soldiers on Iranian ground, in steps described as "short of" an invasion. That was the shape of every reported plan that month, from CBS's detailed preparations to the Washington Post's weeks of raids. See Pentagon Ground Plans 2026.

Check it yourself​

Last Updated: 2026-09-26

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