The United States is misjudging Iran’s level of preparedness for a potential ground campaign, retired U. S. Army Colonel Douglas Macgregor said in an interview with the YouTube channel Judging Freedom.

In his assessment, Washington has underestimated the scope of Iran’s surveillance capabilities. Macgregor noted that Iranian forces maintain continuous monitoring, allowing them to track developments not only within their own borders but also far beyond-at distances of up to roughly a thousand miles.

He also pointed to what he described as a lack of readiness within the U.S. military command for a full-scale ground operation on Iranian territory. According to Macgregor, the United States does not have the required infrastructure in place, nor the logistical capacity to securely deploy troops to a prospective landing zone.

Taken together, these factors make any potential military engagement in the region highly complex and risky, he suggested.

Earlier, The New York Times reported that the Pentagon is preparing to expand its military presence in the region, including the deployment of around 2,000 additional troops from the 82nd Airborne Division.

At the same time, Al-Monitor, citing a source in Israeli security circles, reported that Israel does not plan to send ground forces into Iran, even if the United States proceeds with such an operation.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched strikes on targets inside Iran, including sites in Tehran. In response, Iran has carried out attacks against Israeli territory as well as U.S. military facilities across the Middle East.