TEHRAN – Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has issued a stark warning that the country’s armed forces are fully prepared for any potential entry of US ground troops into Iranian territory, as military and political tensions between Tehran and Washington continue to deepen.
In a sharply worded address on [date], Ghalibaf declared that former US President Donald Trump’s so-called “maximum pressure” campaign aimed at breaking Iran has ultimately failed. Despite weeks of heightened military exchanges, sustained economic sanctions, and escalating rhetoric, Ghalibaf argued that Washington has failed to achieve any of its key strategic objectives.
“The enemy’s plan to bring Iran to its knees has collapsed,” Ghalibaf said. “The war has already damaged major symbols of American military power and has contributed to broader instability in global energy markets, where oil prices and shipping risks remain dangerously sensitive.”
His comments come amid reports from the United States suggesting that the Pentagon has been updating contingency plans for possible ground operations in Iran. According to a Reuters report on Sunday, these plans reportedly include options involving US special operations forces and conventional infantry units. However, it remains unclear whether such a move would ultimately be authorized by the current US administration.
Ghalibaf accused Washington of engaging in “public talk of diplomacy while privately preparing for deeper military escalation,” asserting that the United States is attempting to achieve through coercion and pressure what it has failed to achieve through direct war.
The speaker’s warning reflects a broader hardening of rhetoric within Tehran’s political and military establishment. In recent weeks, Iranian officials have increasingly framed the confrontation with the United States as an existential struggle, while also making clear that any direct ground incursion no matter how limited would trigger an overwhelming and immediate Iranian military response.
Meanwhile, the risk of a wider regional escalation remains high. The USS Tripoli, an amphibious assault ship, along with thousands of additional US Marines and sailors, has already arrived in the region. The Pentagon has also reinforced its posture with additional air defense systems, surveillance assets, and logistical equipment.
Diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis have so far struggled to gain traction. Key regional players including Pakistan, Turkey, and several Arab states have attempted to encourage restraint and open the door to potential talks. Yet, with both sides engaged in increasingly provocative military signaling and regional anxieties mounting, the conflict has now entered a more dangerous phase.
Ghalibaf’s statement underscores how both Iran and the United States are increasingly preparing for scenarios that were once widely considered unlikely. Analysts warn that if ground combat becomes part of this conflict, the consequences both for the region and for global energy security could be far more severe than the aerial and naval confrontations seen to date.
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