The White House has pushed back on a report that the president has discussed deploying some troops to Iran, saying only that President Donald Trump “keeps all options open.”
NBC News reported on Friday that Trump had discussed deploying a small contingent of troops for specific strategic purposes, citing two U.S. officials, a former U.S. official, and another person with knowledge of the conversations.
Trump allegedly discussed this with aides and Republican officials while outlining a vision for post-war Iran, which includes securing the country’s uranium and ensuring a cooperative ne government that would partner with the U.S., echoing developments in Venezuela.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that the story is based on “assumptions” from anonymous sources who are “not part of the president’s national security team.”
“President Trump always, wisely keeps all options open, but anyone trying to insinuate he is in favor of one option or another proves they have no real seat at the table,” Leavitt said in a statement.
Leavitt previously said that troops on the ground is not currently part of the plan while acknowledging that “there’s many leaders in the past who like to take options off the table without having a full understanding of how things could develop.”
Representative James Comer of Kentucky, a Republican, earlier this week said that U.S. troops on the ground in Iran may be unavoidable, even as he continues to hope it proves unnecessary.
This is a developing story. Updates will follow.
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