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דיווח: טראמפ הביע עניין בהצבת כוחות קרקעיים באיראן — Report: Trump expressed interest in placing ground forces in Iran

On 7 March 2026, N12, the news site of Israel's Channel 12, published דיווח: טראמפ הביע עניין בהצבת כוחות קרקעיים באיראן. The byline is N12. No reporter is named. The article says NBC reported that President Donald Trump had shown strong interest, in private talks, in putting American ground forces on Iranian soil. An American family should care because "ground forces" means their own soldiers inside Iran. The same page says he had given no order, and it carries a White House denial.

Background for a new reader. The United States and Israel began bombing Iran on 28 February 2026; Washington calls its part Operation Epic Fury. Through March the argument in Washington was whether to add ground troops, meaning American soldiers physically inside Iran, to what had been an air and sea war. Israeli outlets, writing in Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, French and English, followed that argument closely and often passed on American reports to their readers. This page is one of those reports.

Evidence rating: MODERATE. This rates the claim that Trump privately favored placing a limited American force on Iranian soil. NBC's account, as N12 retells it, comes from unnamed people who said he had not yet decided. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt attacked the sources rather than denying the option.

What the article says

N12 says Trump did not want a broad ground invasion. He wanted a smaller force for defined strategic jobs. The page's summary line says the idea was to secure Iran's uranium stocks and to cooperate on oil after a change of government, on the model of Venezuela. It also says the White House line was that all options stayed open. The photo caption says the decision had not yet been made.

נשיא ארה"ב דונלד טראמפ הביע עניין רב, בשיחות סגורות, בהצבת כוחות קרקעיים אמריקניים על אדמת איראן – כך דווח הלילה (בין שישי לשבת) ברשת NBC.

N12, 7 March 2026, attributing the report to NBC.

N12 says the NBC report came after Trump, the day before, had ruled out a ground invasion. Asked by NBC if an invasion was an option, he said it would be a waste of time, because Iran had already lost everything it could lose.

Two American sources, a former senior official and another person familiar with the talks, told NBC that Trump still raised a ground invasion with advisers and with Republicans outside the White House. They said he had not decided and had not given orders about ground forces.

N12 says the subject came up in talks about Trump's picture of the day after a regime change. In that picture, American forces would make sure Iran's uranium stocks were secured, and the United States would work with a new government on producing oil. The article says he compared that hope to Venezuela after that country's president was removed in January, and that US support for the new president was tied to American access to the oil.

Until then, N12 says, the US part of the war had been an air campaign. Trump told the New York Post that week that he was not deterred by forces on the ground. He said other presidents had ruled that out in advance, while he thought the forces probably would not be needed, but might be.

Leavitt said the report was based on guesses by anonymous sources who are not part of the president's national security team and are clearly not in these discussions. She said Trump wisely keeps every option open, and that anyone who hints he has settled on one option is proving they do not really have a seat at the table.

What other reporting and posts add

• The same day, a different Trump line. On 7 March 2026, FinancialJuice posted: "Trump asked about ground troops in Iran: Could there be? Possibly, for very good reason." FinancialJuice on X. AFP Fact Check later dated that remark: "On March 7, Trump told reporters he does not rule out sending ground troops into Iran, but prefaced that it would need to be for a 'very good reason.'" AFP Fact Check. So within a day or two he called an invasion a waste of time and also said ground troops were possible for a good reason. (captures: twitter/t50__v597.md, twitter/t72__v864.md)
• The Pentagon's line. Al-Monitor's headline on 2 March 2026: "Pentagon: No boots on ground in Iran, but won't rule out future." Al-Monitor on X. (capture: twitter/t50__v596.md)
• Hegseth refuses to set limits. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, in a clip posted 9 March 2026: "You don't tell the ENEMY, you don't tell the PRESS, you don't tell ANYBODY what your limits would be on an operation." And: "We're willing to go as far as we need to in order to be successful." The capital letters are the poster's. Clip on X. (captures: twitter/t50__v591.md, twitter/t50__v595.md)

What it shows

N12, the news site of Israel's Channel 12, told its audience on 7 March 2026 that the American president was interested in putting US ground forces in Iran. The day before, Trump had told NBC a ground invasion was "a waste of time." Set side by side, the public line and the private interest point in different directions, and the plans that followed went with the private interest (Pentagon Ground Plans 2026). See No Boots on the Ground.

Check it yourself

N12, published 7 March 2026: דיווח: טראמפ הביע עניין בהצבת כוחות קרקעיים באיראן.

The NBC story itself was not opened. Two later articles were opened while writing this page: Ynet on 19 March 2026 and N12 on 26 March 2026. They discuss other ground-force options. They are not confirmation of these closed talks.

Research captures: twitter/t50__v597.md, twitter/t72__v864.md, twitter/t50__v596.md, twitter/t50__v591.md, twitter/t50__v595.md

Last Updated: 2026-09-26