Name: Could the US deploy troops to Iran? │DW News
Uploaded: 2026-03-15T23:02:33.000Z
Duration: 7 min 6 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Bring in Fawaz, Jess, professor of Middle Eastern Politics and International Relations at London School of Economics.

What has been achieved and what has failed?

Even though it's a moving target, things are in flux and changing on a daily basis.

I think the American Israeli war on Iran has achieved some major tactical goals.

The United States and Israel assassinated top Iranian leaders, including the Supreme Leader, and

degraded Iran's strategic capabilities, particularly its ballistic missiles.

But I think if you ask me, what's the big picture, the American Israeli war has failed to basically in its all ill defined strategic aims.

And Iran has widened the war with strikes against some of the Arab Gulf states, increasing the cost of energy and basically increasing the pain to the United States, Europe and of course slowing the world economy.

So all in all, I think Iran, I would say is so far has stood fast and is winning at this particular moment.

I mean, look, the US Strike on Hag island targeted military facilities around Iran's main oil hub.

It's been described that hub as the economic lifeline of the Iranian regime, which, what leverage does it give Washington in the conflict, you think?

I think this is very counterproductive for the United States.

Remember, President Trump cannot really afford any major economic pains for the world economy and the American economy.

So far we have seen a major surge in oil and gas prices and also in terms of inflation as well.

So any kind of an attack on Iran's Carp island, which produces about 90% of Iranian oil and gas, Iran has basically threatened to retaliate and attack all the energy, the global energy system in the Gulf, thus really complicating and exacerbating the global energy supply in the international system.

I would argue that basically it's not in the interest of the United States to target the economic and industrial base of Iran because this really could have some very counterproductive effects on the world economy, including the United States economy as well.

Well, now President Trump is calling on other nations to send ships to secure the Strait of Hormuz.

I'm just wondering what impacts that could have on the conflict.

Well, look, President Trump changes his minds on a daily basis.

President Trump basically makes contradictory and conflicting statements.

There is no coalition of the willing that's coming to the health of President Trump, like the Iraq war in 2003, neither China nor Russia will ever send any ships to basically participate in President Trump's coalition of the willing.

Even France and Europe have made it very clear they're unwilling to basically try to open the Strait of Hormuz by force.

So at the end of the day, the United States could really bomb Iran and could really basically force its way out of the Strait of Hormuz is in the short term, but

all it takes are very primitive weapons to really block the Strait of Hormuz.

Only a diplomatic solution could really basically ensure the permanent, basically free passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

I mean, let's pick it up from what you just said.

You're talking about the only way forward being a diplomatic solution, but

really, is there a credible diplomatic pathway to end the war, including, let's not forget, preventing that escalation in Lebanon.

You know, you know, sadly, in fact, we are entering an escalation cycle, not de escalation.

The United States is sending more ships and more ground troops to the Gulf.

In fact, I would not really basically dismiss the idea of a major ground American operation in Iran.

Just, again, a footnote for your own viewers.

Even though the United States and Israel have really inflicted a great deal of pain on Iran, as we know, Iran still controls almost 600 kilos of enriched uranium.

Iran continues to block the Strait of Hormuz.

Thousands of ships now are stranded in the Gulf around the Strait of Hormuz.

And from Iran perspective, any kind of a diplomatic solution has to take into account that neither the United States nor Israel will start the war.

So Iran wants to make sure that any solution basically ensures stability and security.

And also it wants to make sure that its deterrence is effective.

In fact, let me make a nonsensical argument, and I could be wrong.

In fact, Iran does not really want a ceasefire at this particular moment.

It wants to increase the economic pain for everyone, including its Gulf neighbors, Europe and the United States, to make any kind of a new war against Iran really almost prohibitive in the future.

Fawaz, please tell me there is any glimmer of hope to end this war.

Well, you know, I wish I could really see a glimmer of hope.

But look, you and I, we might wake up tomorrow, President Trump could declare victory, mission accomplished, and

In fact, President Trump has been preparing the ground to declare victory because President Trump is.

The war has lasted much longer than President Trump wanted.

He wants an easy, fast and uncostly victory.

So he can really basically invest it domestically in the United States.

Fawaz Jajes, professor of Middle Eastern politics and international relations at London School of Economics, thank you very much.

Subtitles ListPlay Video

Could the US deploy troops to Iran? │DW News

permanent

basically

exaggerate

conflict