SHANGHAI, March 30. /TASS/. A full-scale US ground operation in Iran would be a catastrophic strategic mistake, similar to the Vietnam War (1955-1975), Jin Canrong, professor of American studies at Renmin University of China, told TASS.
"If they launched a full-scale ground operation, it would be a disaster for the United States," the expert said. "Ten thousand American troops simply wouldn’t be able to solve the problem, and if they deployed hundreds of thousands, they would get stuck for a long time in a quagmire similar to the Vietnam War." Jin Canrong believes the likelihood of a full-scale military ground offensive is extremely low. The troop deployment is, for the most part, a political gesture to pressure Iran into making concessions, the professor said.
According to the expert, the US has deployed around 10,000 additional troops to the Middle East. "Even if they acted recklessly and launched a ground operation, for example, to seize Kharg Island or others, it would be very difficult to hold them," Jin Canrong emphasized. "Attacking and capturing them is easy, but holding them is extremely difficult." "That would be a complete strategic mistake, because 10,000 troops simply won’t be able to achieve the necessary results," he added.
The professor pointed out that Iran’s air and naval forces are not comparable to those of the US, but the Islamic Republic has combat-ready ground and missile forces. "Iran is a large country, over 1.6 million square kilometers, with a population of about 91 million, and its army is quite strong," Jin Canrong noted. Earlier, Politico reported, citing sources, that some senior US officials view the military operation against Iran as a strategic defeat. According to the newspaper, those close to the president believe that a ground operation may be the only way to achieve victory.
The United States and Israel launched a military operation against Iran on February 28. Major Iranian cities, including Tehran, were struck. The White House justified the attack by citing alleged missile and nuclear threats from Iran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps announced a retaliatory operation, targeting sites in Israel. US military bases in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE were also hit. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and some other key Iranian leaders were killed in the joint US-Israeli attack.