US-Iran war live: Tehran says it is ‘waiting’ for ground invasion, as American troops close in

Iran’s parliament speaker has accused the US of secretly plotting a ground attack and said the country’s forces are “waiting for American soldiers to enter on the ground so they can rain fire upon them”.

“The enemy signals negotiation in public, while in secret it plots a ground attack,” Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said in a message published by the official IRNA news agency on Sunday.

The Pentagon is reportedly preparing to send thousands more troops to conduct raids near the Strait of Hormuz that include Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops in a bid to dismantle the regime, the Washington Post reported, citing sources.

However, US President Donald Trump has yet to approve any deployment.

Iran said it has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz a vital shipping lane which previously accounted for a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil trade, to hostile shipping.

Earlier this month, Mr Trump told reporters he was “not putting troops anywhere”.

“If I was, I certainly wouldn’t tell you,” he quickly added.

On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US could achieve its goals “without any ground troops”.

“We are always going to be prepared to give the president … maximum opportunity to adjust to contingencies,” he said of the recent US deployments to the Middle East.

The following day, US Central Command confirmed its warship USS Tripoli had arrived in the region with 3,500 troops on-board.

The US-Israel joint operation entered its second month over the weekend, following attacks on Iranian military facilities and officials, which saw the elimination of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and approximately 40 senior leaders.

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