U.S. expected to deploy troops from 82nd Airborne to Middle East for Iran war

The Pentagon is expected to send parts of the 82nd Airborne division to the Middle East as the Iran war extends into its fourth week, according to two sources.

A command element and some ground forces are expected to be part of the deployment, according to a source familiar with the planning. The deployment is expected to be fewer than 1,500 troops, a U.S. official said. 

CBS News reported last week that the U.S. was preparing to make the deployment, and that senior military commanders had submitted specific requests aimed at preparing for the use of ground troops in the Iran conflict.  

So far, the U.S. has been conducting an air war in Iran, relying on fighter jets, bombers and drones to carry out over 9,000 combat flights that have struck over 9,000 military targets, including IRGC headquarter buildings and intelligence sites, ballistic missile sites, missile defense systems, military manufacturing and Iranian navy vessels, according to U.S. Central Command.

While the president considers the use of of ground troops, Mr. Trump said Tuesday that direct negotiations with Iran are underway with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President Vance, special envoy Steve Witcoff, his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and "a number of people." 

"The other side, I can tell you, they'd like to make a deal," the president said of Iran. Publicly, Iran has dismissed reports of ongoing negotiations as "fake news" intended to steady oil markets.

The Pentagon deferred questions about the expected deployment to the White House. A White House spokesperson said that announcements about troop deployments would come from the Pentagon.

Thousands of Marines are already on their way to the Middle East. Three warships and about 2,200 Marines from an expeditionary unit departed California last week, the second Marine Expeditionary Unit deployed since the war began on Feb. 28.