Iran Strongly Responds to U.S. Invasion Threat; 16% Chance of Ground Troops Entering Iran by End of Month

On March 27, Iranian Parliament Speaker Ghalibaf made a strong statement regarding the potential ground invasion threat, stating: “The U.S. cannot even protect its own soldiers at bases in the region, having to hide them in hotels and parks. Under such circumstances, how could they possibly protect these soldiers on our territory?” Previously, Iranian Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian posted on social media, accusing the U.S. military of using civilians from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member states as “human shields” and calling on hotels in those countries to refuse U.S. bookings. Since the onset of this war, U.S. troops have fled military bases in GCC countries, seeking refuge in hotels and office spaces. According to PolyBeats monitoring, the probability of U.S. ground troops entering Iran by the end of the month is currently 16%, while the probability of entering by the end of April is 63%. Earlier today, a U.S. Department of Defense official revealed that the Pentagon is considering deploying up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to provide more military options for Trump as he weighs negotiations with Iran. This potential force, which may include infantry and armored vehicles, would join approximately 5,000 Marines and thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division already ordered to the region.