Amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, Iran and the United States continue to exchange sharp rhetoric alongside battlefield tensions.
On Sunday, March 29, Iran’s military released a video in which spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Ebrahim Zolfaghari warned that any US ground invasion would have severe consequences.
Zolfaghari said US troops would become “good food for the sharks of the Persian Gulf” if they attempted to enter Iranian territory.
Remarks Amid Troop Deployment Reports
The statement comes against the backdrop of reports that the United States is considering deploying around 10,000 troops to the Middle East, potentially as part of preparations for a ground operation.
Taking aim at US President Donald Trump, Zolfaghari described him as a pawn of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and accused him of pushing American forces into “a deadly quagmire”.
He also dismissed any attempt to capture Iranian territory as unrealistic, stating that Iran’s armed forces are prepared to respond and that aggression would result in “humiliating captivity, dismemberment, and the disappearance of the aggressors”.
Iranian Leadership Echoes Warning
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf also issued a strong warning, saying Iranian forces were “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever”, according to Iranian state media cited by AP.
He further characterised talks as a cover, referencing the reported arrival of around 2,500 US Marines in the region trained in amphibious landings.
War Of Optics Intensifies
The rhetoric forms part of a broader battle of messaging between the two sides. Earlier, Iran’s English-language daily Tehran Times carried a front-page warning to the US with the caption, “Welcome to Hell. US troops who step foot on Iranian soil will leave only in a coffin.”
US Signals Timeline, Keeps Options Open
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the conflict may not extend for “months” and could instead conclude within “weeks”. However, he added that all options remain open for President Donald Trump, defending the deployment of troops to the region.
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