Republican on Armed Services Expects Deployment in Iran

A Republican lawmaker who helps oversee military personnel in the House says he expects US ground forces to be sent into Iran. Rep. Pat Fallon of Texas, chair of the Armed Services subcommittee on military personnel and a former Air Force officer, told Fox Business on Monday that he anticipates at least American special operations troops will be deployed alongside regional allies, backed by US air power. "I just don't see any other way," he said, per the Hill, when asked about the prospect of "boots on the ground." Fallon added that the US "can't leave until the job is done" and the behavior of Iran's government is altered. He said the size of Iran makes any campaign difficult without troops present.

On Sunday, President Trump told the Hill he would not rule out sending in troops if an agreement with Iran is not reached. Fallon argued that the Iranian "people are going to rise up" when American troops arrive, and Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, the military force behind the government, "is going to melt away." A moderate faction will then surface and take the government over, he said, per the New York Times. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency reported that at least 49 civilians were killed in Iran on Monday. Another 58 were injured, per the Wall Street Journal. The group counts the number of civilians killed at more than 1,600 so far.