Will Trump send US troops to Iran after Khamenei' Killing? | Explained

What happens if the United States invades Iran? President Donald Trump has refused to rule out boots on the ground. His Defense Secretary says all options remain on the table. His Secretary of State says preemption was necessary. But necessary according to whom? Especially when mediators in Oman and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said there was no imminent nuclear danger. This is not 2003. Or is it? The last full-scale U.S. ground invasion in the Middle East, under George W. Bush, toppled Saddam Hussein in weeks, but trapped America in years of insurgency, sectarian war, and the rise of ISIS. If Washington crosses into Iran, it won’t be a short operation. Iran is bigger, more institutionalised, and far more prepared for asymmetric warfare. Would this be about nuclear infra? Regime change? Deterrence? Or credibility? And if bombs can’t reshape Tehran’s politics, does that make boots inevitable? This episode breaks down how a ground invasion would unfold from air superiority to urban warfare to insurgency and why the most dangerous phase would begin after the first victory is declared. The question isn’t whether the U.S. can invade. It’s whether it can leave.