A senior Iranian official has boldly declared that Tehran has been bracing itself for a U.S. ground invasion for several decades. This revelation comes as new explosions ripple through the region, marking the eighth day of escalating U.S.-Iran hostilities.
Seyed Mohammad Marandi, known in international circles as a regime “mouthpiece,” proudly announced that Tehran had recently unveiled a “new missile.” He also spoke of strategic measures being taken by Iran, such as decentralizing its weapons and concealing them deep underground, all in anticipation of enduring a prolonged American air offensive.
In a conversation with political analyst Glenn Diesen, Marandi, who once advised Iran’s nuclear negotiation team, stated, “The Americans are planning an invasion. It’s not something I claim will definitely occur, nor do I suggest it will happen imminently. But plans for an invasion exist.”
Seyed Mohammad Marandi, frequently recognized as an Iranian regime “mouthpiece,” has indicated that Tehran recently launched a new missile. (Akila Jayawardena/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Diesen reflected on Marandi’s claims, noting, “Whether these plans will be executed remains uncertain. However, the focus of Iranian strikes, as you observed, lies on Bahrain and Kuwait, significant primarily because these are the locations where most American forces have been stationed in preparation for a potential ground invasion.”
Marandi’s comments came as the conflict expanded across western and southern Iran in the run-up to Saturday.
Iran also launched missile and drone salvos targeting U.S.-linked facilities in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Jordanian officials confirmed they intercepted 10 missiles early Saturday, while authorities in Kuwait reported casualties and severe damage to a domestic power and desalination plant.
In response, U.S. airstrikes struck bridges, a key road tunnel, surveillance outposts and reinforced underground weapons storage facilities.
Multiple explosions also rocked the city of Khorramabad in Iran’s Lorestan province. Iranian state media claimed the blasts were caused by U.S. missiles launched from regional bases in Kuwait, according to reports.
Satellite image shows the second tunnel entrance and support buildings at the Khorramabad missile complex in Lorestan province, Iran, before March airstrikes. (Vantor/Unknown)
Khorramabad houses the Imam Ali Missile Base, one of Tehran’s primary underground silo facilities engineered to store and deploy liquid-fueled Shahab-3 medium-range ballistic missiles, according to Washington’s Nuclear Threat Initiative.
The complex was damaged by Israeli airstrikes during the 2025 campaign targeting Tehran’s military and nuclear infrastructure.
Marandi also detailed what he described as a resilient, subterranean network central to Tehran’s military strategy.
“When Iran wants to fire missiles or drones, they don’t put them inside buildings or in piles somewhere. They take out whatever they need,” Marandi said. “They fire them, and then they go back to their bases, or they take out different missiles and drones, spread them out in different areas, put them apart from one another so that the Americans cannot bomb them in large numbers.”
He added: “Everything has been spread out in Iran and placed underground.”
The latest escalation between the U.S. and Iran ended a recently signed memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish a 60-day ceasefire and facilitate nuclear talks.
The key issue has centered on control of the Strait of Hormuz, with the strategic waterway turning into the conflict’s main battleground.
Marandi claimed that the IRCG introduced a new missile to the war. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump ordered renewed airstrikes within weeks of the truce, or MOU, being implemented, and on July 14, he floated the possibility of launching a ground campaign.
According to Marandi, Iran’s military command is actively counting on a ground scenario and has since introduced a new weapon to the theater.
“Iran has that advantage, and of course, it has been accumulating missiles and drones for decades now, and it is doing so even now,” Marandi claimed.
“They, I think, last night introduced a new missile to the war,” he said of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRCG).
“The Iranians are hitting very hard, and they are prepared for a land war. They’ve been preparing for decades.”
Marandi concluded by claiming that Tehran views a U.S. ground operation as the most direct path to ending the conflict on its own terms.
“The Iranians — we discussed this during the 40-day war before on your show — when I said that the Iranians actually want the Americans to carry out a land invasion, and the same is true now, because they felt that if there was a land invasion, they would win,” he told Diesen.