As the war in Iran approaches a month since the joint kinetic military operation by the U.S. and Israel, two sources familiar with the matter informed CBS News that the Pentagon is expected to deploy Army paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East to supplement some 50,000 troops already in the region.
According to a source who informed CBS News, the deployment will be fewer than 1,500 troops, consisting of a command element and some ground forces. However, reports from NPR state that a U.S. government official who spoke with the media outlet revealed that around 2,000 to 3,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division have received written orders to deploy to the Middle East.
The Pentagon is simultaneously in the process of deploying two Marine Expeditionary Units toward the Persian Gulf that would bring 6,0000 to 8,000 Marines and thousands of sailors into close range of Iran.
Since the beginning of the conflict, the U.S. has performed aerial operations in Iran, utilizing fighter jets, bombers, and drones to execute 9,000 combat procedures, which have struck more than 9,000 military targets, including Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) headquarters buildings and intelligence sites, ballistic missile sites, missile defense systems, military manufacturing, and Iranian navy vessels, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
Amid the Pentagon’s orders, the Trump administration has also sought to pause the conflict between the U.S. and Tehran.
The New York Times reported late Tuesday that the U.S. offered a 15-point ceasefire proposal to end the war. The proposal includes sanctions relief, a rollback of Iran’s nuclear program, limits on missiles, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Two Pakistani officials confirmed that they delivered the plan to Iran.
President Trump also confirmed on Tuesday that direct talks with Iran are ongoing with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Vice President JD Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and "a number of people."
Earlier this month, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) took part in a panel on MS NOW, assuring the public that the Trump administration would not be putting "boots on the ground."
"It is not the intent, or the position, or the directive of this administration to put boots on the ground in Iran," she clarified.
