Analysis: US troops in Iran? What Americans think, and what it would mean | CNN Politics

“We have no interest in a protracted conflict,” Vice President JD Vance said in June 2025, hours after the United States carried out airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Then he added: “We have no interest in boots on the ground.” The administration is singing a different tune today, refusing to rule out that prospect more than two weeks into a more extensive war against Iran. President Donald Trump isn’t downplaying the idea like he once did, and there are increasing strategic reasons to suspect it might be a viable option. Should Trump go there, it would be both a sign that this war has gone in directions he didn’t seem to anticipate and that is has become a massive political risk. Polling conducted since the first strikes against Iran last month suggests the idea of troops on the ground is a complete nonstarter for Americans overall — and even a tough sell for the GOP base. And while recent history suggests that base might warm to the idea, at least somewhat, Trump is pushing his luck with even many of those supporters. But there appear to be increasing reasons that at least a small amount of ground forces could be deployed on Iranian soil — whether that be