India, March 30 -- The Pentagon is preparing plans for weeks of limited ground operations in Iran, potentially including raids on Kharg Island and coastal sites near the Strait of Hormuz. Up to 10,000 additional ground troops are being considered for the Middle East, on top of 1,500 already deployed from the 82nd Airborne unit of the US military. "It does not mean the President has made a decision," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said.

That means whether Donald Trump will continue to push for talks, or escalate, is unclear.

If indeed a ground invasion comes, the history of what tends to come next is well documented as we look back at all such interventions by the US since World War 2. Those who have studied or lived th...