Iranian army commander warns U.S. ground warfare 'dangerous, costly'

Iranian Army Ground Force Commander Brigadier General Ali Jahanshahi on Thursday warned that the enemy must understand that a ground war will be "more dangerous and costly" for them, as the U.S. administration under President Donald Trump weighs a ground attack on the country.

During his inspection tour of the country's borders, Jahanshahi emphasized that every inch of Iran's territory is protected by vigilant Iranian troops, who are monitoring all enemy movements while standing ready for any scenario.

The Iranian army forces are standing firm and steadfast on the frontlines of defense and they will incapacitate the enemy, he said.

Also on Thursday, an Iranian military source said that Iran has mobilized more than one million troops in preparation for a potential U.S. ground invasion.

In recent days there has been a massive influx of applications from Iranian youth directed into the centers of Basij, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), and the Artesh (Iran's regular army) for participation in possible ground battles.

Trump is reportedly considering the deployment of 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to give Washington more military options amid negotiations with Iran.

The president on Thursday put on pause his threat to bomb Iran's energy plants for 10 days unless Tehran reopens the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian army commander warns U.S. ground warfare 'dangerous, costly'

Iranian army commander warns U.S. ground warfare 'dangerous, costly'

Iranian army commander warns U.S. ground warfare 'dangerous, costly'

As temperatures rise across northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, marigolds are bursting into bloom, bringing bright pops of color and spring vitality to the colder northeast China region where a lingering winter landscape has remained dominant so far in the spring season.

In Hailin City, time-lapse footage captured the cold-hardy flowers emerging among shrubs on hillsides. Standing just five to 15 centimeters tall, the plants slowly unfurled their golden-yellow petals amid patches of remaining snow and dried leaves.

It is one of the earliest blooming herbaceous plants in the colder regions of northeast China, and is often called "the first flower to herald spring in the northeast." The flowering period of marigolds lasts from mid-to-late March through early April.

"In springtime in the north, especially in Harbin, there are very few flowers in bloom right now. You usually only see flowers in greenhouses. It's still quite cold this season, yet the marigold has already emerged. It has that same kind of resilience as plum blossoms," said Di Keying, a student at the Northeast Forestry University.

Marigold flowers add spring vitality to colder northeast China region