The Pentagon is weighing its options in the war the United States started, and on the table are “weeks” worth of ground operations against Iran. The U.S. is also busy plotting a ground attack despite publicly engaging in diplomatic efforts allegedly aimed at finding a ceasefire.

A Saturday night report in The Washington Post suggested that Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf correctly indicated that the U.S. wants to initiate a ground incursion in Iran.

“The Pentagon is preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, U.S. officials said, as thousands of American soldiers and Marines arrive in the Middle East for what could become a dangerous new phase of the war should President Donald Trump choose to escalate,” The Washington Post said.

Should President Donald Trump choose to escalate the war, it could enter a new and precarious phase.

Any potential ground operation would fall short of a full-scale invasion and could instead involve raids by a mixture of Special Operations forces and conventional infantry troops, said the officials. All spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss highly sensitive military plans that have been in development for weeks. – The Washington Post

Several countries have already been working toward a ceasefire. The Pakistani ruling class said over the weekend that its prime minister, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, is working to “create a conducive environment” for peace negotiations and direct talks between Tehran and Washington. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is being kept abreast of developments in communications with Pakistan.

Recent attacks on Iran’s universities by Israel and the U.S. could result in Iran retaliating in kind. Some of the retaliatory strikes have already occurred.

According to a report by ZeroHedge, the IRGC (Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps) has gone so far as to release a statement urging staff, faculty, and students to vacate and stay away from these campuses. Some notable American university branches in the Gulf (among dozens) include Texas A&M University in Qatar and New York University in the United Arab Emirates.

Should those become targets, the U.S. is likley to escalate the war further.