US military planners have drawn up options for a ground operation in Iran, and US President Donald Trump has not ruled it out, a prospect that has opened a sharp and deeply personal debate inside the country about whether foreign boots on Iranian soil would be a liberation or a catastrophe.
Iranian army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohammad Akrami-Nia warned recently that any US entry onto Iranian territory would trigger a military response. "If the Americans set foot on one of our islands, we will definitely target them on our own soil," he said.
Lawmaker Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani went further, warning that Tehran could launch ground operations against US allies in the Gulf, including Kuwait and Bahrain, if US forces entered Iranian territory.
Trump has repeatedly warned that Washington is prepared to go further if Tehran does not change course, and has threatened the Islamic Republic with an unprecedented "massive attack" in another escalation of rethoric after the interim deal between the two sides failed earlier this month, leading to renewed fighting.
Euronews spoke to five Iranians about the prospect of a US ground operation — whether they believe it is coming, whether it could topple the Islamic Republic, and whether they would fight to resist it or welcome it.
