Trump rejects a ground war with Iran as a ‘waste of time’, signaling his interest in new leadership

American President Donald Trump has ruled out the possibility of sending American ground troops to Iran for now, describing the move as unnecessary and ineffective despite rising tensions in the region.

Speaking in a telephone interview with NBC News on Thursday, the US president brushed aside warnings from Iran’s foreign minister that a land invasion by the United States or Israel would end in disaster for any invading force.

“It was a waste of time. They lost everything. They lost their navy. They lost everything,” he said.

Trump also dismissed statements previously made by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who stated that Iran was ready to face a potential ground attack by American or Israeli forces.

According to the US leader, Tehran’s statement did not have much effect.

“It’s just a waste of time. They lost everything. They lost the navy. They lost everything,” he told NBC by phone, adding that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s earlier statement that Iran was ready for a US or Israeli ground invasion was a “vain comment.”

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Despite ruling out deploying troops, Trump has said he wants major changes to Iran’s current leadership structure following the escalation of the conflict.

“We don’t want someone who can rebuild in a 10-year period,” he said.

He indicated that Washington would prefer a quick political transition in Tehran, adding that “we want to go in and sort things out” quickly.

Trump also revealed that he already has an idea about who could potentially lead Iran next, although he declined to reveal any names.

Earlier this week, the president had suggested the United States would play a role in shaping Iran’s future leadership after American and Israeli strikes reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, in the early stages of the conflict on Saturday.

“I have to get involved,” Trump said of appointing Iran’s next leader.

Meanwhile, the fighting shows no signs of abating. Massive bombings were reported in Tehran on Friday after Israel announced that it had begun targeting what it described as “regime infrastructure” in what officials called a “new phase” of the war launched jointly with the United States against Iran.