Iranian officials assert that Tehran has spent decades preparing for a potential U.S. ground invasion, claiming the country is ready to withstand sustained air campaigns.
Senior academic Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a former adviser to Iran’s nuclear negotiation team, said the United States is formulating invasion plans, though he did not specify a timeline for any action.
Marandi added that Iran has recently deployed a new missile system and has relocated much of its arsenal underground to protect it from aerial attacks.
He described a dispersed, subterranean network that allows missiles and drones to be launched from multiple hidden sites, preventing large‑scale destruction by enemy bombers.
Recent hostilities have expanded across western and southern Iran, with missile and drone salvos targeting facilities linked to the United States in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Jordan intercepted ten missiles early Saturday, while attacks in the region caused casualties and damage to a power and desalination plant.
U.S. airstrikes responded by hitting bridges, a key road tunnel, surveillance outposts and reinforced underground weapons storage facilities.
Multiple explosions struck the city of Khorramabad in Lorestan province, home to the Imam Ali Missile Base, a major underground silo for Shahab‑3 medium‑range ballistic missiles.
The base suffered damage during Israeli airstrikes in 2025 that targeted Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure.
The latest escalation ended a recently signed memorandum of understanding that had established a 60‑day ceasefire and opened the door to nuclear negotiations.
Control of the Strait of Hormuz remains the central issue, with the strategic waterway becoming the primary battleground of the conflict.
Iran’s military command appears to be counting on a land scenario, introducing new weaponry while continuing to amass missiles and drones.
Marandi claimed Tehran views a U.S. ground operation as the most direct path to ending the conflict on its own terms, believing that a land invasion would ultimately favor Iranian objectives.
