President Donald Trump appeared to hint at his next move in the escalating Iran conflict by urging supporters to tune into Fox News’ Mark Levin.
“Watch Mark Levin interview of Brilliant Marc Thiessen tonight at 8:00 P.M., on FoxNews. Will discuss the importance of hitting Iran, HARD!!! President DJT,” the president posted on his Truth Social platform Saturday evening.
During the segment, Levin advocated putting boots on the ground in Iran to secure enriched uranium, the main material used for making a nuclear weapon.
“Why would we need troops on the ground? Well, there’s a lot of reasons—and we wouldn’t need 300,000 of them. It’s this uranium,” Levin said on his Life, Liberty & Levin show.
“If it cannot be destroyed, if it cannot be altered, we’ve got to get it for the reason I just said, you can make dirty bombs, and over time, you can still make sophisticated missiles,” he continued. “So you need to get to the uranium.”
Levin explained that a ground invasion would be comprised of “very special forces,” not “sending regular army and infantry.”
“What I’m trying to say is we are in good hands. No, not with All State,” Levin said. “But with President Trump, because he’s a man with enormous intelligence, enormous common sense.”
The Daily Beast reached out to the White House for further comment.
The Trump administration has not ruled out boots on the ground in the war, which is entering its fifth week. U.S. officials have given varying explanations for the next steps in the war, as some have said the war is close to winding down, and others have threatened to widen it.
The Pentagon is planning for a ground invasion in Iran that could last weeks or months, the Washington Post reported. Thousands of U.S. troops have been moved to the Middle East in recent days.
The Post cited one source who said the objectives on the ground could take “weeks, not months,” to complete, and another who said the timeline would be “a couple of months.”
The Pentagon is also reportedly preparing for a “final blow” against Iran, which could include a ground invasion and a large bombing campaign, as the Trump administration looks for an exit ramp from its war in Iran.
The administration believes that a huge show of force to conclude the war could give the U.S. more leverage in peace talks, Axios reported. It could also just allow the Trump administration to declare victory and move on from the deadly war.
