‘My popularity is none of your concern, focus on yours’: Meloni fires back at Trump
"In any case, my popularity is none of your concern," Meloni's wrote, adding, "I suggest you focus on yours".
US President Donald Trump has privately explored the possibility of sending a limited number of American ground troops into Iran, according to a media report that cited people familiar with internal discussions.
The idea being discussed, according to the report, involves deploying a small group of soldiers for narrowly defined missions rather than launching a full-scale military invasion. Officials quoted in the report said the conversations have taken place with advisers and Republican figures outside the White House, though no final decision has been made.
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The discussions come as fighting between Iran and a US-Israel alliance has sharply intensified since late February, with thousands of American strikes reported across Iranian territory and retaliatory missile and drone attacks by Tehran targeting Israeli and US assets in the region.
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White House dismisses report, says Trump keeps ‘all options open’
The White House has pushed back against the report, saying it relies on speculation from unnamed sources who are not involved in national security deliberations.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the claims were based on assumptions by individuals who are not part of the President’s national security team.
“This story is based on assumptions from anonymous sources who are not part of the President’s national security team and are clearly not read into these discussions,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
“President Trump always wisely keeps all options open, but anyone trying to insinuate he is in favour of one option or another proves they have no real seat at the table,” Leavitt said in a statement.
Earlier this week, Trump also addressed the possibility of deploying troops during remarks to The New York Post. While noting that previous presidents had ruled out boots on the ground, he said such a step might still be considered if circumstances demanded it.
Trump claims Iran’s military has been ‘devastated’
Speaking at the White House during a roundtable discussion on college athletics, Trump said recent US military operations had severely damaged Iran’s military structure.
“Iran, we’re doing very well,” Trump said when asked about developments in the conflict. When pressed to rate the situation, he replied: “Somebody said how would you score it from 0 to 10? I said I’d give it a 12 to a 15.”
Trump claimed the Iranian armed forces had suffered major losses, including damage to naval assets and communications systems.
“Their army is gone… their navy is gone, their communications are gone, their leaders are gone,” he said, adding that multiple levels of leadership within the Iranian military had been eliminated.
He also said Iran’s naval fleet had been destroyed during the ongoing campaign, claiming that all 32 of its ships had been sunk.
“Our military is doing phenomenally,” Trump added. “People are very impressed with our military.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi told NBC News earlier this week that Tehran was not seeking a ceasefire and saw no reason to begin negotiations with Washington.
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