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US preparing 'final blow' options that could see use of ground troops if Iran talks fail — report

On 26 March 2026, Times of Israel diplomatic reporter Lazar Berman published US preparing 'final blow' options that could see use of ground troops if Iran talks fail — report. It is a short live-blog item about an Axios story. An American family should care because the options it lists include putting U.S. soldiers on Iranian soil if talks fail. The same item says the president had not chosen any of them.

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 Pentagon Ground Plans 2026; the full article index lists every article on this shelf.

Evidence rating: MODERATE. Two US officials and two other sources, as reported by Axios and carried by the Times of Israel, describe "final blow" options that include ground troops. The item prints the sources' line that the president had not yet chosen among them.

What the article says​

Berman writes that the United States was working on a "final blow" if high-level talks with Iran failed and Iran kept threatening ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow sea lane oil tankers use to leave the Persian Gulf. As the item describes it, that blow would do two things: strengthen the U.S. hand in later talks, or give President Donald Trump a victory image so he could end the war on his own. The item says Axios cited two U.S. officials and two other sources.

"The US is working on options for a 'final blow' to Iran that could see American ground troops deployed on Iranian soil, as well as a major bombing effort, Axios reports, citing two US officials and two sources with knowledge."

— Lazar Berman, The Times of Israel, 26 March 2026

The item says four options were under discussion.

  • Seize or blockade Kharg Island, which the item calls Iran's key hub for exporting oil.
  • Take Larak Island, in the strait, where the item says Iran has bases, radars that track ships, and small boats that can attack civilian ships.
  • Invade Abu Musa, an island in the eastern Persian Gulf that the item says Iran holds and the United Arab Emirates claims. The item notes that the nearby Greater and Lesser Tunb islands are in the same dispute. It calls the UAE a key U.S. and Israeli ally.
  • Block, or take control of, ships that are exporting Iranian oil.

The item also says Axios reported separate plans for U.S. troops to seize Iran's highly enriched uranium, uranium processed far beyond what a power plant needs, believed to sit under ruined nuclear sites deep inside Iran. The alternative in that account is to bomb the sites from the air so Iran cannot reach the material. Berman writes that the sources say Trump has not decided on any of the plans.

The Axios article this item cites, which I opened, describes the same four options. It says Trump had not made a decision, and that White House officials described any potential ground operations as hypothetical.

What other reporting adds​

The same Axios story, as it spread. Annmarie Hordern posted the Axios lead the same day: "The Pentagon is developing military options for a 'final blow' in Iran that could include the use of ground forces and a massive bombing campaign, according to two U.S. officials and two sources with knowledge." (@annmarie on X, 26 March 2026; research capture: twitter/t51__v604.md). One reply: "Developing options ≠ executing them. The Pentagon always maintains contingency plans for major adversaries, that's standard military planning, not an imminent invasion order." (reply by X user Victor Bassey; research capture: twitter/t51__v603.md).

The White House threat that week. A version of the same news carried by Ynet quotes press secretary Karoline Leavitt: "the president doesn't bluff and he is ready to unleash hell" if no agreement was reached (see Pentagon drafts massive 'final blow' for Iran endgame). That line is about strikes. The ground options stayed, in Axios's words, "hypothetical."

Iran's warning. Iran's parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, posted the day before that, "based on some intelligence reports, Iran's enemies are preparing to occupy one of the Iranian islands with support from one of the regional states" (see US said mulling 'final blow' options).

What it shows​

The Times of Israel reported on 26 March 2026 that the Pentagon's "final blow" menu for Iran included ground troops, including landings on islands. It came six days after CBS reported detailed ground preparations and two days before the Washington Post reported weeks of ground operations (Pentagon Ground Plans 2026). Each report added a step, and each was answered with "no decision" rather than "no." See No Boots on the Ground.

Check it yourself​

Last Updated: 2026-09-26

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