Sixty-five percent of Americans believe PresidentDonald Trumpwill "order troops into a large-scale ground war"in Iran, and only 7% support it, the latestReuters/Ipsos pollreleased on March 19 found.
The poll, conducted from March 17 to March 19, found that 55% of respondents opposed deploying any ground troops, while 34% said they would support deploying a small number of special forces troops to Iran. Fifty-nine percent of respondents disapproved ofthe war.
Trump claimed the United States is not sending troops to the Middle East, even as a U.S. Navy warship carrying more than 2,000 Marines has been spotted moving into the region.Reuters, citing unnamed sources, reported that the Trump administration is considering deploying thousands of U.S. troops as part of the next steps in the campaign against Iran.
Smoke rises following an explosion, after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Smoke rises following an explosion after the U.S. and Israel reportedly launched an attack against Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026, in this screen grab taken from video." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
A plume of smoke rises following a reported explosion in Tehran on February 28, 2026. Two loud blasts were heard in Tehran on February 28 morning by AFP journalists, and two plumes of thick smoke were seen over the centre and east of the Iranian capital. Israel's defence ministry announced it had launched a "preemptive strike" on Iran as sirens sounded in Jerusalem and people across the country received phone alerts about an "extremely serious" threat." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
U.S. President Donald Trump pumps his fist after disembarking Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, U.S., February 27, 2026. Hours later, Trump made live comments about the military strikes he launched against Iran." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Buildings inin Tehran stand after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, February 28, 2026." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> 
Latest photos capture US and Israeli strikes against Iran
Smoke rises following an explosion,after Israel and the U.S. launched strikes on Iran, in Tehran, Iran, February 28, 2026.
When asked by reporters in the Oval Office on March 19 whether he intends to put more U.S. troops in the region, the president said no.
"I'm not putting troops anywhere," Trump explained. "If I were, I certainly wouldn't tell you. But I'm not putting troops."
But Israeli Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahuindicated that there will be a "ground component" to the war during a news conference on March 19, adding that there are "many possibilities for this ground component, and I take the liberty of not sharing with you all those possibilities."
Satellite imagesspotted theUSS Tripoli (LHA 7), an America-class amphibious assault ship, and two escort ships traveling southwest across the South China Sea on March 15.
Republicans show support for war in poll, despite MAGA backlash
The Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 77% of Republican respondents supported the war so far. Fourteen percent of Republican respondents approved of a large-scale invasion, while 63% supported using limited special forces.
Trump has facedbacklash from MAGA figures,who supported his campaign promise of not engaging in "forever wars," as well as an administration official who resigned in protest of the war.
Ex-Trump ally and former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene called the launch of the war "not what we campaigned for" in a March 1 social media post and continued her criticism since.
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"The Iran War is rapidly spiraling out of control. It should have never happened," she said in a March 19social media post.
Joe Kent, the former head of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, said in a March 17 resignation letter that hecould not "in good conscience" support the warand alleged that the Trump administration "started this war due to pressure from Israel."
In a March 18interview with Tucker Carlson, Kent reiterated statements from the resignation letter that there was "no intelligence" that Iran posed an imminent threat to the United States before the start of hostilities.
"There was no intelligence that said, 'Hey, on whatever day it was, March 1st, the Iranians are going to launch this big sneak attack, they're going to do some kind of a 9/11, Pearl Harbor, etc. They're going to attack one of our bases,'" he said.
Netanyahu denied the accusations that Israel drew the United States into the war, asking: "Does anyone really think that someone can tellPresident Trumpwhat to do?"
Poll puts Trump's approval rating at 40%
Trump's broader standing with the public was largely unchanged in the poll, ticking up one percentage point from a poll taken hours after the United States and Israel attacked Iran on Feb. 28 to 40%.
The findings align with theNew York TimesandReal Clear Politicspoll aggregations, putting Trump's approval at 40% and42.3%, respectively.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll had a sample of 1,545 U.S. adults and a margin of error of about 3%.
Contributing: Reuters
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Most Americans think Trump will order US ground troops to Iran: Poll