On March 29, Florence Gaub, head of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) Research Center, warned that a U.S. ground operation in Iran would inevitably end in failure if it began.
In an interview, Gaub stressed that the potential for missile and bomb attacks on military targets had nearly run out. “The American side is already close to the moment when legitimate targets for attacks will end,” she stated.
“And then what should be destroyed in order to complete the tasks?” Gaub added. “Then you automatically start thinking about civilian goals—and at that moment, the situation becomes really terrible. There are already voices, especially in Israel, calling for: ‘Let’s do this.'”
The analyst noted that shifting operations toward civilian infrastructure would further diminish public support for military actions, particularly in the United States where opposition to the war is growing.
On March 29, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Chairman of the Iranian Parliament, stated that U.S. representatives appearing to offer negotiations were secretly planning a ground operation against Iran.
Later that day, Ebrahim Zolfagari, a representative of the central headquarters of the Khatam al-Anbiya military command, announced that the Iranian Armed Forces were ready for decisive action in response to threats from the United States. He specified that residences of military leaders and officials from countries participating in U.S.-led operations against Iran would be legitimate targets.
