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US attacks Iran for 5th consecutive night, but Trump not ready to send in ground troops

On 15 July 2026, the Israeli news site Ynetnews published US attacks Iran for 5th consecutive night, but Trump not ready to send in ground troops. The article says American planes bombed Iran for a fifth night in a row. It also says President Donald Trump looked at sending ground troops to seize Kharg Island, Iran's main oil-export island in the Persian Gulf, and had not approved it. An American family should care because the piece is about whether their relatives in uniform might be put on that island, where the same article says they could be killed.

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 Air War Is Not Enough; the full article index lists every article on this shelf.

Evidence rating: MODERATE. The rated claim is that seizing Kharg Island or other areas around the Strait of Hormuz with US ground forces was discussed in the Situation Room, and that Trump said on the record he would take Kharg once Iran was worn down. Ynetnews is retelling Reuters and the Wall Street Journal, which relied on US administration officials.

What the article says​

Ynetnews says the US military announced another wave of strikes on the night of publication. Officials said the aim was to weaken Iran's ability to threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow sea lane at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. Iran reported explosions in Bandar Abbas, Ahvaz, and Chabahar. The article says sirens then sounded in Bahrain.

The article says Reuters reported that recent strikes were "preparatory actions," meant to wear down Iranian defenses if Trump later ordered heavier operations. A US official told Reuters, in Ynetnews's words, "It helps prepare the ground, if necessary."

In that setting, Ynetnews says Trump had again threatened to seize Kharg Island. It says Iran could hit the island with missiles and drones from the mainland. Ynetnews reports that Trump, asked the day before about capturing Kharg, said he would do it if Iran had been worn down hard enough.

"If we wear them down hard enough and deep enough, I'll do it."

President Donald Trump, as reported by Ynetnews on 15 July 2026, speaking the day before about capturing Kharg Island.

Ynetnews then says the Wall Street Journal, citing US administration officials, reported that Trump was "inclined" to expand operations, and that talk of escalation might also be meant to push Iran toward a deal. According to that report, as Ynetnews tells it, Trump held a Situation Room meeting on Tuesday evening, US time. The options discussed included seizing Kharg Island or other areas around the Strait of Hormuz with US ground forces. Also discussed, the article says, were bombing a buried nuclear site at "Pickaxe Mountain" near Natanz, and striking energy facilities, which Trump said he would save for "the end."

Ynetnews names the officials in those talks as Vice President JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine. It says Trump asked for escalation options that could force Iran to surrender or at least stop attacks on commercial ships in the strait.

Ynetnews writes that the Journal stressed Trump had not decided. Several US officials said he was hesitant to approve ground forces because that move could very likely lead to American casualties. The article also says the threats might be a way to force talks. It quotes Vice President JD Vance, on Joe Rogan's podcast, saying the administration would not "bomb, bomb, bomb," and would use military power as one tool to get Iran back to talks.

The article reports that Trump told Fox News, "Iran wants to meet," and later said in Pennsylvania, "Iran will be defeated very soon." It also reports Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf calling the conflict an "existential war" while saying Iran should use diplomacy as well.

What other reporting adds​

Two days later, Americans were killed in Jordan. According to a Wall Street Journal report as pasted on X, "Iranian ballistic missiles slammed into a housing area at the base in northeastern Jordan where US troops were sleeping, killing three soldiers and wounding four others who were evacuated for treatment." (@rheytah on X, 12 September 2026, describing the 17 July strike; research capture: twitter/t53__v634.md). A New York Post story, as pasted on X, named the dead as 1st Lt. Tyler J. Feehan, Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, and Sgt. Angel S. Rampersad, and reported Trump telling Israel's Channel 12: "I am considering a massive attack." (@P_F_Lherisson_ on X, 23 July 2026; research capture: twitter/t49__v580.md).

Congress voted the same week. The House voted 214-208 on 23 July to direct US forces out of hostilities with Iran, according to GlobalSecurity.org's running war summary; the Senate did not follow (GlobalSecurity.org; research capture: twitter/t52__v617.md).

The critique from the other direction. Strategist Edward Luttwak wrote two weeks later that the White House "remains infected by its 'no boots on the ground' syndrome" and that Trump "refuses to risk deploying even a small number of troops to the desert islands in the Persian Gulf" (UnHerd on X, 29 July 2026; research capture: twitter/t50__v593.md). That matches this article's picture of a president hesitant to land troops.

What it shows​

This is the air war turning into ground preparation in a single Israeli report. US officials told Reuters the bombing was "preparatory," meant to wear down defenses: "It helps prepare the ground, if necessary." The President named the condition for sending Americans onto Kharg Island: "If we wear them down hard enough and deep enough, I'll do it." And the options in the room included US ground forces around the Strait of Hormuz. The hesitation officials described was about American casualties, which came two days later when an Iranian missile killed three US soldiers in Jordan. Israel's part in any landing, per its own press, would be airpower and intelligence, not infantry (see Air War Is Not Enough, Kharg Island and the Uranium Raid, and Israel Keeps Its Infantry Home).

Check it yourself​

Status: Donald Trump is alive. JD Vance is alive. Pete Hegseth is alive. Marco Rubio is alive. Dan Caine is alive. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf is alive.

Last Updated: 2026-09-26

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