The Pentagon is preparing for the possibility of ground operations in Iran for weeks in case Donald Trump decides to escalate. The Washington Post reports this, citing some sources, according to whom the ground operations would not be a large-scale invasion, but rather incursions conducted by special operations and infantry troops. “It’s the Pentagon’s job to make preparations to offer all options to the commander-in-chief. That doesn’t mean the president has made up his mind,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said.
Iran threatens to attack US universities in the Middle East
The Iranian Revolutionary Guards has instead threatened to strike US universities in the Middle East after suffering the destruction of two universities in Iran by US and Israeli air strikes. “If the US government wants these universities in the region to avoid retaliation (…), it must condemn the bombing of the universities in an official statement by noon on Monday, March 30,” the Revolutionary Guard Corps said in a statement reported by Iranian media.
Meanwhile, US and Israeli missile attacks have hit an Iranian port city near the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian state media reported this. Five people were killed and four others injured in the Israeli-American attack on the port city of Bandar Pol, in the province of Hormozgan, on the Persian Gulf, which took place today, according to the provincial governor.
IDF, command, production and storage centers of weapons hit in Tehran
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) say they have hit temporary command centers and Iranian weapons production and storage sites in Tehran, in a new wave of attacks. In a post on X, the IDF said the affected sites included “ballistic missile production and storage facilities, air defense systems and Iranian regime observation posts.” According to the IDF, Iran had moved some command centers to temporary sites. “Several temporary command centers have been dismantled, including commanders operating within the headquarters,” the IDF said in the post.
Tehran, two powerful explosions heard in the north of the city
Two powerful explosions shook northern Tehran in the early hours of Sunday, an AFP journalist reported. The explosions occurred in the Iranian capital while air defenses were operational.