Islamabad, Pakistan. Iran said it was ready to respond to a US ground attack, accusing Washington of preparing a land assault even as it sought negotiations. Foreign ministers from several regional powers were set to meet in Islamabad to discuss ways to halt the month-long US-Israeli war on Iran.
Regional talks and Iran’s warning
The foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt were set to meet in Islamabad to discuss ways to halt the conflict, which Iran said has killed thousands and caused the biggest-ever disruption to global energy supplies.
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf accused the United States of sending messages about possible negotiations while secretly planning to send in its ground forces, adding that Iran was ready to respond if US troops deployed.
“As long as the Americans seek Iran’s surrender, our response is that we will never accept humiliation,” he said in a message to the nation.
Conflict spreads and shipping concerns
The war, launched on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran, has spread across the Middle East, with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis launching on Saturday their first attacks on Israel since the start of the conflict.
The strikes pointed to a potential new threat to global shipping, already hit by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, previously a conduit for about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.
US deployments and ground-operation planning reports
Washington has dispatched thousands of Marines to the Middle East, with the first of two contingents arriving on Friday aboard an amphibious assault ship, the US military has said.
The Washington Post quoted US officials as saying the Pentagon was preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, possibly involving raids by Special Operations and conventional infantry troops. Whether President Trump would approve plans for deploying ground troops remained uncertain, the Post said.
Reuters has reported that the Pentagon has considered military options that could include ground forces.
What impact do you think continued disruption in the Strait of Hormuz could have on global energy supplies?