Iran warns it will "burn" any arriving U.S. ground troops, vows to fight to the end

[The Financial News] As the United States military has deployed about 7,000 ground troops, including Marines and airborne units, around the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf declared that he would "burn them."
According to reports on the 29th (local time) from the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) and others, Ghalibaf said, "The enemy is publicly sending messages about negotiations and dialogue while secretly planning a ground assault." He warned, "Our soldiers are waiting for U.S. forces to arrive on the ground so they can set them on fire and exact full retribution on their regional allies."
Ghalibaf is a leading hard-line conservative politician in the Islamic Republic of Iran and a powerful figure in the military, having previously served as an air force commander in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). His political influence has grown even further since former Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei was killed in a joint U.S.-Israel airstrike on the 28th of last month.
Ghalibaf also dismissed media reports suggesting that Tehran might enter into talks with Washington, insisting they were "disinformation aimed at helping the United States and Israel escape the quagmire they are in and at manipulating financial and oil markets."
A spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, the top operational command of Iran’s regular army, likewise stated the same day that they were "eagerly awaiting the moment to butcher U.S. troops." The spokesperson warned that if the United States military deploys ground forces, it would mean "capturing them, cutting off their limbs, and making them disappear without a trace."
Earlier, United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on X (formerly Twitter) on the 28th that "the USS Tripoli (LHA-7), carrying U.S. Navy and Marine Corps personnel, arrived in the CENTCOM area of responsibility on the 27th." CENTCOM explained, "This America-class amphibious assault ship serves as the flagship of the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU), which consist of about 3,500 sailors and Marines, as well as transport aircraft, fighter jets, and amphibious and tactical assets."
The 31st MEU is a unit based in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, and 2,500 of its members are taking part in the current operation related to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Several thousand Marines from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, based in California, are also heading to the Middle East aboard the USS Boxer (LHD-4) amphibious assault ship group.
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter