Donald Trump’s presidency could be defined by sending thousands of US troops into Iran who could be caught in a bloody “quagmire,” says a leading security expert.
Lord Ricketts, a former UK National Security Adviser, stressed that if the US president decided to deploy large numbers of ground troops, possibly to seize Kharg Island in the Gulf, it would be a “massive” risk.
“It would be the defining act of his presidency. If as I think likely it became a quagmire with rising US casualties,” he said.
“It would change US politics as well as causing further economic mayhem.”
I predicted here that a ground force invasion eg of Kharg Island would be a quagmire. The Iranians would mount terrorist attacks, the body bags would start flowing home and this would probably cost the Republicans the midterms. https://t.co/0iUzU1eJ0M
— Peter Ricketts (@LordRickettsP) March 26, 2026
The peer and ex-head of the Foreign Office added: “The Iranians would mount terrorist attacks, the body bags would start flowing home and this would probably cost the Republicans the midterms. “
His comments came after Trump said he would again extend the deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz amid reports he is considering sending 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East.
The Pentagon denied the reports in American media, but thousands of US Marines on board the USS Tripoli and other ships are already being deployed to the region.
Earlier, Trump posted on social media that he would pause threatened attacks on Iranian energy plants for 10 days until April 6, 8pm EDT (midnight GMT).
“Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well,” he added in his Truth Social post.
The four-week war has spread across the Middle East, killing thousands of people and hitting the global economy with soaring energy prices, fuelling global inflation fears.
The Wall Street Journal was reporting that Trump is mulling sending an extra 10,000 troops to the region.
It says the force would likely include infantry and armoured vehicles, and would be in addition to the 5,000 US Marines already being deployed to the region.
It comes amid reports the Pentagon is drawing up a plan for US troops to invade Kharg Island, a key oil hub for Iran.
Britain has allowed US bombers to fly from RAF bases, including Fairford in Gloucestershire, for airstrikes to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, warning that Iran must not be allowed to hold the “global economy hostage”.
Meanwhile Iran has claimed it is readying more than one million fighters to unleash "hell" on American troops if the US launches a ground invasion.
Citing a military source, the state-run Tasnim News Agency reported that regime fighters are eager to create “a historic hell for the Americans on Iranian soil”.
Iran has said it is not engaged in talks with Washington and Trump has not identified who the US is negotiating with in Tehran, with many high-ranking officials killed in the war.
On March 23, Trump announced a halt to all threatened strikes against power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period, but has now extended it to 10 days.
Trump told Fox News’ The Five programme that the Iranians had asked for a seven-day pause on strikes on energy plants.
There was no immediate reaction from Tehran, but the WSJ cited peace talk mediators as saying Iran did not ask for a 10-day pause on such strikes.
Iran has said it would return strikes on energy facilities in the Gulf region if Trump follows through with his threat of attacks.
Iran has effectively blocked the Strait of Hormuz, which carries about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas, spiking energy prices and causing upheaval to financial markets.
The prospect of tit-for-tat strikes on civilian infrastructure could further rattle global markets and threaten the livelihoods of millions of civilians in the region who rely on electricity to power their cities and supply fresh water.
Iranian media reported strikes on residential areas in Tehran, Qom, Urumia in the early hours of Friday morning.
Three residential homes in the Pardisan area of Qom, south of Tehran, were struck, killing at least six people. In Tehran, rescue workers from the Red Crescent pulled a survivor from the rubble of a residential building that was hit by airstrikes.
A housing complex in the northwestern city of Urmia was struck by a direct missile attack, killing and injuring several civilians and destroying at least four residential units. Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene as rescue operations continue.
Israeli military said on Friday it struck ballistic missile production sites and air defence systems across Iran overnight, including targets in Tehran and western regions, in operations that the Israeli military says it is aimed at degrading Iran’s missile capabilities and reducing threats to Israel.
The war has massively disrupted shipping, sending crude oil prices up around 40%, seen liquefied natural gas prices spike, and prices for nitrogen-based fertilisers, critical to food production, rise around 50%.
Stock markets, having fallen sharply in the US and Europe on Thursday, followed suit in Asia on Friday as investors worried about the conflict dragging on.
“Many see the Iranian regime as holding the upper hand and doubt that there are indeed productive negotiations with the US in process,” said ITC Markets senior FX analyst Sean Callow.
An Iranian official told Reuters that a 15-point US proposal, conveyed to Tehran by Pakistan, was reviewed in detail on Wednesday by senior Iranian officials and the representative of Iran’s supreme leader, who felt it served only US and Israeli interests.
However, diplomacy had not ended, the official said.
The proposal included demands ranging from dismantling Iran’s nuclear programme to curbing its missiles and effectively handing over control of the Strait of Hormuz, according to sources and reports.
