Iran has issued a taunting two-word message to US troops.
A representative of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei said Iran had been training for “over two decades” in asymmetric warfare to fight the superior US military.
Admiral Ahmadian, who represents the Supreme Leader on Iran’s Defence Council, said Iran had “just one message for the American soldiers: Come closer.”
The news comes as the Pentagon is expected to announce the deployment of a 3,000-person brigade combat team in support of the US and Israel’s war on Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division is a rapid-response force able to deploy within 18 hours and a full brigade within 72 hours. It was not immediately clear when the troops would be deployed or what their mission would be.
But in a show of defiance, top military official Admiral Ahmadian made the bold post online today, urging the US troops to “come closer”. He said: “For years, we’ve been awaiting the Americans’ entry into the designated points, and for over two decades, we’ve been training with the asymmetric warfare strategy for this very moment.
“Now, we have just one message for the American soldiers: Come closer.” The chilling post implies Tehran’s readiness to face US combat forces if Donald Trump decides to put boots on the ground in Iran.
On March 13, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth approved a request from US Central Command for an element of an amphibious ready group and an attached Marine expeditionary unit, which typically includes several warships and around 5,000 Marines and sailors, according to three US officials.
Around 2,500 additional Marines and 2,500 sailors were reportedly set to be deployed to the Middle East, according to NBC. The sailors are from the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group, made up of the USS San Diego, USS Tripoli and USS New Orleans.
The build-up of troops is a drastic escalation in the war and only increases the possibility that American servicemembers will go into Iran.
US Central Command said on Tuesday that US aircraft and missile attacks have “destroyed more than 9,000 military targets” in Iran, however Iran has continued its drone and ballistic missile strikes on Israel and other countries in the region this week.
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