Trump is privately showing 'serious interest' in deploying small contingents of ground troops to Iran for specific missions

President Donald Trump has expressed in private conversations a "serious interest" in the possibility of deploying U.S. forces on Iranian territory, though not in the form of a full-scale invasion but through small contingents earmarked for specific operations, according to a NBC News report based on four sources familiar with the discussions.

According to the media outlet, Trump has raised the idea in conversations with advisors and Republican leaders outside the White House while discussing possible scenarios for Iran's future should the current conflict lead to political changes in the country.

The sources cited by NBC News indicated that the approach does not point to an extensive ground campaign or classic boots-on-the-ground deployment, but to limited missions that could involve small units for specific targets.

The president, according to those same sources, has not made decisions or issued orders about a U.S. troop deployment in Iran.

The White House disputed the report. Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that the article is based on "assumptions from anonymous sources" who, she said, are neither part of the president's national security team nor sit at the table where decisions are made. She added that Trump is keeping all options open regarding the conflict's evolution.

So far, the military confrontation with Iran has been dominated by air operations. However, Trump has avoided publicly ruling out the use of ground forces. In an interview with the New York Post, the president said that troops would "probably not be necessary," although he left open the possibility of resorting to them if the situation demanded it.

Experts in foreign policy cited by the media outlet noted that, if deployed, the troops could be involved in special-forces operations targeting objectives that cannot be neutralized by bombing.

Joel Rayburn, a former Trump administration official and current researcher at the Hudson Institute, mentioned, as an example, brief raids aimed at attacking facilities or conducting one-off operations before withdrawing, a type of mission that differs from what is normally understood as a prolonged ground intervention.

Other analysts raised scenarios related to a possible collapse of the Iranian government. Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran specialist with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said U.S. forces could be employed to secure nuclear facilities or supervise uranium stockpiles if there were a change of power.

Likewise, Nate Swanson, of the Atlantic Council, noted that the White House might reconsider its military options if the conflict becomes protracted and drifts into a war of attrition. In that context, the United States could also evaluate the support for groups opposed to the Iranian government.