Iran Warns Against US Ground Invasion as Regional Leaders Hold Talks to De-escalate Tensions

Iran’s parliament speaker issued the threat after thousands of sailors and Marines aboard the USS Tripoli arrived in the Middle East.

Foreign Ministers Badr Abdelatty of Egypt, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, Ishaq Dar of Pakistan and Hakan Fidan of Turkey meet to discuss regional de-escalation, amid the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, in Islamabad, Pakistan, on March 29, 2026. Muammer Tan/Turkish Foreign Ministry Handout via Reuters

Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf warned on March 29 that forces are “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire and punish their regional partners forever.”

Qalibaf’s comments in a translation of an open letter to the people of Iran came as more than 3,500 U.S. sailors and Marines aboard the USS Tripoli arrived in the Middle East on March 28.