Video: US plans deployment of 3,000-4,000 82nd airborne troops to Middle East amid Iran conflict
Abdullateef Fowewe
The Pentagon is preparing to deploy 3,000 to 4,000 elite soldiers from the United States Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, two officials familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday, intensifying a U.S. military buildup in the region now in its fourth week of war with Iran.
The move would bring total U.S. troop levels to roughly 50,000, following recent reinforcements from Marine and naval units.
It expands Washington’s options for potential operations, including securing the Strait of Hormuz or even deploying forces inside Iranian territory—escalations that could dramatically heighten risks in the conflict that erupted in late February with U.S. strikes on some 9,000 Iranian targets.
The paratroopers, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, would join existing forces, though officials declined to specify exact destinations or timelines.
“As we have said, President Trump always has all military options at his disposal,” spokeswoman Anna Kelly said in a statement.
Iran has denied Trump’s claims of “productive” peace talks, even as the war disrupts global markets, Dailyeconomy reports.
