The U.S. military is preparing to send at least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East in the coming days, people familiar with the plans said Tuesday, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of military operations. One of the sources said the Army’s emergency response force is designed for rapid deployment and can be sent on short notice.
Those people said the operation would include elements from the division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, along with Maj. Gen. Brandon Tegtmeier and division staff. They said the unit is based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and trained to parachute into hostile or contested territory to secure key territory and airfields.
In response to questions about the deployment, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly deferred to the Pentagon. Kelly also noted that President Trump “always has all military options at his disposal,” according to the remarks reported by the Associated Press.
The Associated Press also reported that members of the Senate Armed Services Committee are scheduled to receive a classified briefing Wednesday on Capitol Hill from Pentagon officials, where the potential deployment is expected to be discussed. A U.S. official told AP the briefing is likely to cover the plans but was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The 82nd Airborne move is the latest addition of American troops to the Iran war effort, according to AP, coming after U.S. officials said thousands of Marines aboard several Navy ships would head to the region. The Marines are trained for missions that can include supporting U.S. embassies, evacuating civilians and disaster relief, while the airborne soldiers are trained for parachute operations in contested areas.
The AP report said U.S. officials previously confirmed that the Japan-based USS Tripoli and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit had been ordered to the Middle East, shifting them from exercises near Taiwan. It also said the Navy rushed additional ships carrying a rapid-response Marine force to the Middle East from their home post of San Diego, with the pair of Marine Expeditionary Units expected to add about 5,000 Marines and thousands of sailors to a region where the U.S. already has about 50,000 troops.
The deployment plans come as the Trump administration says it has begun negotiations with Iran to end the war, with Pakistan offering to host diplomatic talks. The AP report said Iran denied that any negotiations are taking place, and it pointed to different public signals from Iranian officials. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s office said he had been discussing the war this week with several counterparts, while Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, the speaker of Iran’s parliament, denied Trump’s claim of direct talks, and an Iranian military spokesman issued a newly defiant statement vowing to fight “until complete victory.”
At the White House, Trump said he was “in negotiations right now” and that his envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner are involved, alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance. Trump said, “We have a number of people doing it,” adding, “And the other side, I can tell you, they’d like to make a deal.”