March 29, 2026
Iran’s parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said on Sunday that the United States was publicly signalling diplomacy while secretly preparing a ground attack, according to the official IRNA news agency. “The enemy publicly sends messages of negotiation and dialogue while secretly planning a ground attack,” he said, adding: “Our men are waiting for the arrival of the American soldiers on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional allies once and for all.” Qalibaf called for unity among Iranians and described the country as being in “a major global war” at its “most critical” stage. He warned Iran could “punish the United States” and secure what he called its legitimate rights.
The Washington Post has reported the Pentagon has been drawing up plans for possible ground operations in Iran for weeks, though it is unclear whether President Donald Trump would approve a deployment given his past promises to avoid new foreign ground wars. Senior US officials have repeatedly said large-scale ground invasions are not planned; Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Washington believes it can meet its objectives via air strikes without “boots on the ground,” while acknowledging some troop movements are intended to provide strategic flexibility.
Thousands of US troops have been redeployed to the Middle East in recent weeks, including marines from the 31st and 11th expeditionary units and paratroopers from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division. Reports have suggested up to 10,000 additional US infantry could be staged in the Gulf. The forces deployed are far smaller than those used in the 1991 and 2003 Gulf Wars and lack comparable armoured and logistical support, but could carry out limited raids on key installations. One potential target often cited is Kharg Island, a strategic oil-export hub near the northern Persian Gulf; President Trump has previously said he would consider striking or taking the island if US personnel were attacked.
The conflict remains active across the region. Iran has continued to fire missiles toward Israel and to launch strikes in the Gulf. Air defences intercepted missiles and drones in several countries overnight. Kuwait reported responding to missile and drone attacks, Bahrain said two people were injured in an Iranian strike on aluminium facilities, and witnesses in Tehran reported heavy strikes late Saturday. Security sources told Reuters air defences shot down a drone near the residence of Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani in Erbil.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi condemned an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon that killed three journalists, calling it a “targeted assassination” and a violation of international law. The Israel Defense Forces said it had targeted one of the journalists, alleging he was part of a Hezbollah intelligence unit.
Separately, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned it could target US university campuses in the Middle East after saying US and Israeli strikes had destroyed two Iranian universities, urging staff and students to stay a kilometre from campuses unless Washington issued an official condemnation by a stated deadline. Several US institutions operate regional branches in the Gulf.
Pakistan is hosting talks in Islamabad between the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt aimed at de‑escalation and diplomacy. Islamabad has been acting as a diplomatic intermediary between Iran and the United States, with officials emphasising dialogue as the only viable path to stability.
The Israeli military said a soldier from the Paratroopers Brigade was killed in combat in southern Lebanon, the fifth Israeli troop fatality there since fighting with Hezbollah escalated in early March. Yemen’s Houthi rebels have also claimed recent attacks on Israel, raising concerns the conflict could widen.