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Trump says he's 'nowhere near' decision about sending ground troops into Iran

On March 9, 2026, All Israel News published Trump says he's 'nowhere near' decision about sending ground troops into Iran. It is a short brief. It says President Donald Trump told the New York Post that a decision to send U.S. ground troops into Iran is still far off. He was answering reports of a commando operation aimed at Iran's nuclear stockpile. A family that heard commandos were about to go in can read his answer here, and can also see how narrow that answer is.

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 No Boots on the Ground; the full article index lists every article on this shelf.

Evidence rating: MODERATE. The claim is Trump's statement that no decision on ground troops was close. One brief, relaying one interview, supports that he said it.

What the article says​

All Israel News writes that a final decision about sending U.S. ground troops into Iran is still far off, and that Trump told the New York Post so.

We haven’t made any decision on that. We’re nowhere near it.

Trump said that, All Israel News reported on March 9, 2026. The brief says he was asked about reports that his administration is weighing a commando operation to secure Iran's nuclear stockpile. The article does not describe the commando plan. It only says those reports were the question he was answering.

What other reporting adds​

X's summary of the same interview. An X trending page the same day wrote: "Trump told the New York Post that the U.S. is nowhere near sending ground forces to Iran, even to secure nuclear materials at the damaged Isfahan facility, despite social media claims fueled by a canceled 82nd Airborne training exercise." It added: "officials confirmed no deployment orders exist." (X trending page, updated 9 March 2026; research capture: twitter/t49__v582.md). A reader-added note on the same topic said a viral claim that The Washington Post had put the military "on high alert for a ground invasion" was false: "As of March 9, 2026, no such article exists." (research capture: twitter/t50__v592.md).

How long "nowhere near" lasted. Two days earlier, on Air Force One, he had said: "Could there be? Possibly, for a very good reason." (PolitiFact, 9 March 2026; research capture: twitter/t48__v574.md). Within three weeks, CBS, The Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal were reporting detailed ground plans, and on 5 April, asked by The Hill whether he would exclude ground troops, he answered "No," as Defence Index reported on X (research capture: twitter/t50__v597.md).

What it shows​

"We're nowhere near it," the President said on 9 March 2026. Three days earlier NBC had reported his "serious interest" in US ground troops in Iran; that same week Hegseth told 60 Minutes, "We reserve the right." Eleven days later CBS reported the Pentagon's detailed ground preparations, and by 28 March the Washington Post reported weeks of ground operations being prepared. See No Boots on the Ground.

Check it yourself​

Last Updated: 2026-09-26

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