Image Credentials: Image Title: TRUMP SIGNALS READINESS FOR GROUND DEPLOYMENT IN IRAN AS “OPERATION EPIC FURY” ESCALATES Source: (sora.openai) Date: Feb 2026. Attribution: This image was created using AI-generated imagery (sora.openai) and does not depict a real-world scene.
OPEN CHRONICLE | “The Truth in Every Detail.”
By Open Chronicle Staff with Agencies
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Donald Trump has refused to rule out the deployment of U.S. ground troops to Iran, signaling a potential shift toward a more intensive phase of “Operation Epic Fury.” In an interview on Monday, the President stated he would consider putting “boots on the ground” if necessary, even as his administration provides varying timelines for the duration of the military campaign.
Speaking with the New York Post, Trump asserted that he does not have the “yips” regarding ground forces, a sharp departure from previous administrations that often categorically ruled out such escalations. While the President noted he “probably” would not need them, he made it clear that the option remains firmly on the table to ensure all strategic objectives are met.
Conflicting Timelines and Expanding Objectives: The administration’s messaging on the war’s duration has fluctuated significantly over the past 48 hours. After initially describing the operation as “massive and ongoing” from Mar-a-Lago, Trump suggested to reporters that the campaign could end in as little as “two or three days.” However, by Monday, the President adjusted the projection to a “four-to-five-week process,” while acknowledging it “could go longer.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth echoed this ambiguity during a Pentagon briefing, declining to set a hard deadline. “We’re not going to go into the exercise of what we will or will not do,” Hegseth said, adding that it would be “foolishness” to telegraph the military’s exact limits to the enemy.
The President outlined the core goals of the intervention during a Medal of Honor ceremony on Monday:
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Annihilating the Iranian Navy.
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Destroying the nation’s missile capabilities.
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Permanently ending Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
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Severing the regime’s ability to fund and direct regional proxy armies.
The Human Cost of “Epic Fury”: While the administration claims the operation is “ahead of schedule”, having already confirmed the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the civilian toll is mounting. Iranian state media reports at least 555 fatalities across the country. Public outcry has intensified following reports that an airstrike hit a girls’ elementary school in Minab, killing over 100 children.
The conflict is also extracting a price from U.S. and Israeli forces. At least six American service members have been killed in retaliatory strikes, and 11 people in Israel have died following Iranian missile and drone barrages.
A “Gritty” Reality Ahead: Despite the President’s optimistic tone regarding leadership targets, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine warned that the mission is “not a single overnight operation.” He characterized the upcoming tasks for CENTCOM as “difficult and gritty work,” suggesting that even if a full-scale ground invasion is avoided, the U.S. military footprint in the region is likely to expand before the conflict concludes.
As the administration prepares for the weeks ahead, the world watches to see if the “four-week” projection holds or if the United States is entering another protracted conflict in the Middle East.