Trump doesn't rule out sending troops to Iran 'if necessary': Report

ISTANBUL

US President Donald Trump on Monday did not rule out deploying ground troops to Iran as joint US and Israeli attacks entered their third day.

"I don't have the yips with respect to boots on the ground — like every president says, 'There will be no boots on the ground.' I don't say it," Trump told the New York Post, adding that he would consider it "if they were necessary."

Separately, Trump told CNN the operation was going "well" but warned the hardest strikes were yet to come. "We haven't even started hitting them hard. The big wave hasn't even happened. The big one is coming soon," he said.

The US president said the biggest surprise so far had been Iran's retaliatory strikes against Arab neighbors, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. "We told them, 'We've got this,' and now they want to fight," he claimed. "They were going to be very little involved and now they insist on being involved.”

Trump revised his earlier claim of 48 Iranian leaders killed, now putting the figure at 49. He also said the US was actively helping the Iranian people beyond military strikes, urging civilians to stay indoors for their safety. Trump on Sunday called on Iranians to rise up and "seize this moment ... and take back your country."

Trump's remarks came as the US-Israeli operation entered its third day.

The strikes, launched Saturday, killed several senior Iranian officials, including supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Tehran retaliated with drone and missile strikes targeting several Gulf countries, mainly US military bases in the region. Four US military service members have been killed and 18 others seriously wounded since the beginning of the campaign, according to official statements and media reports, as US officials expect more casualties.

Earlier, CENTCOM said that three US F-15E Strike Eagles flying in support of the operation went down over Kuwait due to an "apparent friendly fire incident." All six crew members ejected safely and were recovered in stable condition.