The US-Iran war has entered its fifth week, with no clear indication of where the conflict is headed.
A report by The Wall Street Journal suggests the US is considering sending 10,000 soldiers to the Middle East for a possible ground invasion of Iran.
Iran has issued a warning to the US through its national English daily, Tehran Times, with a front-page image of US troops boarding a carrier and the caption: 'Welcome to hell. US troops who step foot on Iranian soil will leave only in coffins.'
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated that the war is not going to take months but weeks to end, and that America can achieve its objectives without sending troops on the ground.
However, Rubio added that their presence gives the US President Donald Trump options, and that the president has to be prepared for multiple contingencies.
Meanwhile, 3,500 marines and sailors have landed in the Middle East, and the US Department of Defense is considering sending a total of 5,000 troops to the region in two batches.
Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, believes Iran will hold talks with Washington 'this week' to end the month-long war, and that Washington expects Tehran to respond to a 15-point US peace plan.
Iran's Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has accused the US and Israel of planning a 'ground invasion' under the guise of diplomacy, warning that Tehran will not yield to pressure.
