Trump says US ground invasion of Iran would be ‘waste of time’

President Donald Trump has dismissed the prospect of sending US ground troops into Iran as a “waste of time,” amid escalating tensions following US-Israeli strikes on Iranian targets.

Speaking to NBC News on Thursday (March 5), Trump referred to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s warning that a ground invasion would be disastrous for invaders as “a wasted comment.”

“They’ve lost everything. They’ve lost their navy. They’ve lost everything they can lose,” Trump said, adding that Iran is already severely weakened.

Trump reiterated his goal of swiftly removing Iran’s current leadership structure. “We don’t want someone who would rebuild over a 10-year period,” he said, noting he had ideas for a new leader but declined to name anyone.

Earlier, Trump stated he would need to be involved in the appointment of Iran’s next leader after US-Israeli strikes reportedly killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the start of the conflict last Saturday.

Meanwhile, heavy airstrikes continued in Tehran on Friday as Israel targeted what it described as “regime infrastructure” in a new phase of the US-backed offensive.