Techub News reports that, according to sources from CCTV News, U.S. officials have stated that President Trump privately expressed a "strong interest" in deploying ground troops inside Iran. The sources said that Trump had discussed the idea of deploying ground forces to Iran with aides and Republican officials. Trump showed a strong interest in the idea, but the focus of the related plans was not on "a large-scale ground invasion of Iran," but rather on "sending a small-scale U.S. military force to achieve specific strategic objectives." The sources also said that Trump has not made any decisions or issued any orders regarding ground troops. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated in a statement that these sources are not members of the U.S. President's national security team.