Iran accuses US of ground assault plans as Pakistan hosts regional talks

TEHRAN: Iran said it was ready to respond to a US ground attack, accusing Washington on Sunday of preparing a land assault even as the Trump administration sought talks and as regional powers met in Pakistan to try to end the conflict.

As the conflict entered its second month, Israel’s military said it carried overnight strikes on Tehran, targeting what it described as a facility producing critical components for ballistic missiles and a weapons production and storage site.

Iran launched multiple missile salvos at Israel on Sunday, sending millions of people across the country into shelters. Israel’s fire and rescue service said a blaze had broken out in an industrial area in the country’s south after an “impact”.

Chemical manufacturing and industrial plants, as well as a hazardous waste treatment facility, are located in the industrial area. It was not immediately clear if a missile had hit the area, or if the fire was caused by debris from an interception.

Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf accused the US of sending messages about possible negotiations while at the same time secretly planning to send in troops, adding that Tehran was ready to respond if US soldiers were deployed.

“As long as the Americans seek Iran’s surrender, our response is that we will never accept humiliation,” he said in a message to the nation.

The war, which began on February 28 with US and Israeli strikes on Iran, has spread across the Middle East, with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis launching on Saturday their first attacks on Israel since the start of the conflict.

The assault points to a potential new threat to global shipping, already hit by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz, previously a conduit for about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas supplies.

US marines start arriving in Middle East: Washington has dispatched thousands of Marines to the Middle East, with the first of two contingents arriving on Friday aboard an amphibious assault ship, the US military has said.

The Washington Post quoted US officials as saying the Pentagon was preparing for weeks of ground operations in Iran, adding that it was not yet clear if President Donald Trump would approve such plans.

Reuters has reported that the Pentagon has considered military options that could include ground forces.

Trump faces a stark choice between seeking a negotiated exit or escalating militarily that risks a protracted crisis, and would likely weigh further on his already low approval ratings.

“President Trump has poor options all around to end the war,” said Jonathan Panikoff, former US deputy national intelligence officer for the Middle East. “Part of the challenge is the lack of clarity related to what a satisfactory outcome would be,” he added.

Meanwhile, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt met in Islamabad to discuss ways to halt the Iran war, which has killed thousands of people and caused the biggest-ever disruption to global energy supplies.

Pakistan, which along with Turkey and Egypt has been relaying messages between Washington and Tehran, was hosting four-nation talks and looking for proposals that could bring the two sides together, a Pakistani foreign ministry official said.

The countries meeting in Pakistan have floated proposals to Washington tied to maritime traffic and reopening the Strait of Hormuz, five sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, as part of wider efforts to stabilise shipping flows.

Washington said last week it had offered a 15-point ceasefire plan, with a proposal to reopen the waterway and restrict Iran’s nuclear programme, but Tehran has rejected the list and put forward proposals of its own.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military announced earlier that a fifth soldier had been killed in combat in southern Lebanon, underscoring the growing regional scope of the conflict.

In Tehran, Qatari news channel Al Araby TV said an Israeli missile struck the building housing its office, causing extensive damage and forcing the suspension of live broadcasts.

“An Israeli missile targets the Al Araby TV channel building in the capital, Tehran… extensive damage and the suspension of live broadcasting,” the channel said in a post on X.

Footage from inside the office showed shattered glass, broken windows and debris scattered across the newsroom. Images from outside showed damaged surrounding buildings and streets covered with rubble.

The risk of a broader regional war increased further after Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement launched its first attacks on Israel since the conflict began, officials said. Monitoring Desk