【Wen/Observer Net, Liu Bai】On March 8 local time, Michael Lait, Israel's ambassador to the United States, refused to rule out the possibility of sending Israeli ground forces to Iran during an interview with U.S. media, and incited the Iranian people to overthrow the current regime themselves. On the same day, Iran's Foreign Minister Alaghi reiterated that the Iranian military "has the capability" to conduct ground operations to destroy enemies.

"We will never allow this regime to remain in a position that threatens us and our neighbors," Lait said on CBS' "Face the Nation" program, "if it means sending ground forces, but we would rather have the Iranian people carry out this operation... they need to stand up and take control of their own future and the region's future."

The day before Lait made these remarks, Israeli President Herzog told Fox News live that he expected neither Israel nor the United States to deploy troops to Iran, and believed that toppling the Iranian regime "does not require ground force intervention."

Lait's interview with CBS

Currently, the U.S.-Iran war is mainly conducted through air strikes. Despite this, the Trump administration also did not rule out the possibility of ground deployment. Trump stated during an interview that he had not ruled out the possibility of sending U.S. troops to the region if necessary to achieve victory.

"I have no concerns about deploying ground forces - just like every president says 'no ground forces,' I won't say that," Trump said, "I would say 'it may not be needed,' or 'if necessary.'"

U.S. Defense Secretary Hegseth said last week that he would not "discuss what we might or might not do."

Recently, reports of the U.S. possibly implementing a no-fly zone in western Iran's Kurdish region and canceling a major Army exercise have sparked speculation that the U.S. may be preparing for a ground invasion of Iran.

The Washington Post on the 6th cited multiple officials who said that the U.S. Army suddenly canceled the major exercise of the 82nd Airborne Division planned to be held at Fort Polk in Louisiana, keeping the unit on standby at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

This unusual move has sparked speculation within the Department of Defense: as the U.S.-Iran conflict continues to escalate, this elite paratrooper unit, known for its expertise in ground combat and various missions, may be redeployed to the Middle East.

A U.S. Defense Department official previously told U.S. media that as the war against Iran progresses, the U.S. plans to mobilize more National Guard and Army Reserve personnel to support the operation.

Currently, about 22,000 Army and Air Force National Guard members are stationed overseas to carry out global missions. The official also said that some units had already been mobilized before the start of the operation against Iran, and the guardsmen already deployed in the area were assigned to provide support from their respective regions for this operation.

The Washington Post cited analysts' views, stating that if the U.S. deploys ground forces, Iran's Khark Island could become the primary target. The island is located in the Persian Gulf, about 15 miles (about 24 kilometers) from the Iranian mainland, and is the location of Iran's most important oil infrastructure, with about 90% of the country's oil exports passing through this facility.

Satellite image: On June 20, 2025, the Iranian Isfahan nuclear facility after being attacked by the U.S. military. IC Photo

According to Bloomberg, citing information from diplomatic officials familiar with the discussions, as concerns over the location of Iran's enriched uranium reserves continue to grow, the U.S. is considering deploying special operations forces to seize Iran's near-weapons-grade enriched uranium.

It is reported that since the whereabouts of Iran's highly enriched uranium remain uncertain, Trump has received a briefing on this option. These concerns stem from the fact that UN inspectors have failed to verify the location of the material for several months.

After the U.S. and Israel struck multiple Iranian nuclear facilities last year, the issue of Iran's uranium reserves resurfaced, making the task of tracking the material more complicated.

Before the conflict, the last recorded data from the International Atomic Energy Agency showed that Iran had approximately 441 kilograms of uranium enriched close to weapons-grade, which could produce about a dozen nuclear warheads if further purified.

The report cited diplomats saying that recent activities near the underground tunnels of the Isfahan nuclear facility - where the material was previously stored - have raised the possibility that at least part of the reserves may have been moved.

A official familiar with the plan revealed that U.S. and Israeli officials are continuing to work to locate this uranium and have developed contingency plans, including sending special forces to secure it if its location is confirmed.

U.S. President Trump previously said that military action against Iran could last four to five weeks.

Lait agreed with the Trump administration's assessment, believing that the war could last for several weeks. He added that Israel has begun to observe "cracks appearing in the edifice of Iran's military 'terrorist regime'," including "severe difficulties in the command system in transmitting orders."

He said that Israel and the U.S. will "reach complete consensus" on the timetable for ending the war.

Israeli Defense Forces guarding the border with Lebanon. IC Photo

"This is a crucial operation and is not really dependent on a timetable," Lait said to the program host Margaret Brennan, "when you're doing something so critical, you don't watch the clock. This must be done. This 'terrorist-supporting' country must be overthrown, which is our core objective."

He also questioned the comments made by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakkan Fidan over the weekend.

Fidan previously claimed that Israel planned to use Kurdish groups in the region as proxy forces. Fidan made these remarks after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rubio, and stated that Rubio assured him that despite media reports that the U.S. planned to arm Iranian Kurdish groups, the U.S. had no such intention.

Trump said on March 7 that he had ruled out the possibility of arming Kurdish groups during the war. He told reporters on Air Force One, "The war is complex enough without involving the Kurds."

"We don't want the Kurds involved. As you know, we have a good relationship with the Kurds, but we don't want the war to become any more complicated than it already is," Trump said.

Lait said that Israel hopes "the opposition parties in Iran will unite under the guidance of the U.S. and Israel to form a transitional government for about a year," after which Iran could "enter a democratic process phase."

Alaghi's interview with NBC

Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister said on March 8 that Iran is prepared to resist an invasion by ground forces.

During an interview with NBC's "Meet the Press" program, he stated that if Trump chose to send U.S. troops to Iran, the Iranian military had soldiers who "had the capability" to conduct ground operations.

"We have very brave soldiers, who are waiting for any enemy who dares to step into Iranian territory, to fight, destroy, and eliminate them," Alaghi said.

Alaghi also emphasized that the U.S. had no right to interfere in the selection of Iran's next Supreme Leader.

He stated that the temporary leadership committee currently managing state affairs after the assassination of Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei. Alaghi said that the committee would "soon" elect a new Supreme Leader.

"There are many rumors, but we must wait for the expert meeting to convene and vote for the new Supreme Leader," Alaghi said.

Although Trump claimed that the U.S. must have a say in the selection of the next Supreme Leader, Alaghi rejected this claim.

"We do not allow anyone to interfere in our internal affairs," he said, "It is the matter of the Iranian people."

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7615045804226658868/

Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.