Pentagon orders troops from 82nd Airborne Division to deploy to Middle East

## Summary
Fabio Bucciarelli/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty hide caption toggle caption Fabio Bucciarelli/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty As the war approaches the one-month mark the Trump administration keeps its options open, submitting a ceasefire plan to Iran, while also deploying up to 3,000 U.S. Kawant Haju/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Kawant Haju/AFP via Getty Images Two Pakistani officials told the Associated Press Wednesday that Iran has received the proposal. Your era of empty promises has come to an end." He added: "Have your internal conflicts reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves?" "Our first and last word has been the same from day one, and it will stay that way: Someone like us will never come to terms with someone like you," Zolfaghari said. "Not now, not ever." Iran says it will allow the passage of "non-hostile" ships through Strait of Hormuz The Iranian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it would facilitate the "safe passage" of "non-hostile" ships in the Strait of Hormuz, but excluded vessels belonging to the United States, Israel and others engaged in the war with Iran from transiting through it. Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images Initially, Trump asked NATO countries to assist in opening the waterway, but was met with rejection.

## Article Content
Pentagon orders troops from 82nd Airborne Division to deploy to Middle East
March 25, 2026
5:38 AM ET
By
NPR Staff
The Lebanese flag is waved amid the rubble of a Lebanese Civil Defence post destroyed in an IDF airstrike in Nabatiyeh, Lebanon, on March 24, 2026.
Fabio Bucciarelli/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty
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Fabio Bucciarelli/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty
As the war approaches the one-month mark the Trump administration keeps its options open, submitting a ceasefire plan to Iran, while also deploying up to 3,000 U.S. Army paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East.
Revelations about the ceasefire plan come as multiple Iranian officials continue to deny that any negotiations to end the war are taking place.
It also comes as the United States is preparing to deploy up to 3,000 paratroopers to supplement some 50,000 troops already present in the Middle East.
Israel's military, meanwhile, continued to
strike the heart of Tehran
Wednesday and Iran fired more missiles at Israel.
Here's what else to know about the latest developments in the conflict.
Up to 3,000 U.S. Paratroopers to be sent to Middle East
Members of Iraq's Hashed al-Shaabi, an alliance of factions now integrated into the regular army, carry the coffin of the Hashd al-Shaabi operations commander for Al-Anbar, Saad Dawai alongside others during a mass funaral in Baghdad on March 24, 2026.
Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images
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Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP via Getty Images
Between 2,000 and 3,000 U.S. Army paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division have received written orders to deploy to the Middle East, according to a U.S. government official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
The troops are expected to come from the division's Immediate Response Force, which can mobilize worldwide within 18 hours.
The deployment, combined with two Marine Expeditionary Units already moving toward the Persian Gulf, could bring 6,000 to 8,000 U.S. ground troops into close proximity to Iran – a building that comes as Trump has alternatively
said he does not plan to put boots on the ground
, while also saying he will not rule it out.
— Quil Lawrence
Trump Administration drafts ceasefire plan
A draft 15-point ceasefire proposal to end the war with Iran, as first reported by the New York Times and Israel's Channel 12,
includes calls for Iran to commit to never pursuing nuclear weapons and dismantling any existing nuclear capabilities.
A person briefed on the proposal told NPR that the summary published by Channel 12
reflected an early version of the proposal, and said there have been changes made since then, though it wasn't clear what those changes were. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
This photograph taken from the southern city of Tyre, shows rockets fired from Lebanon towards Israel on March 24, 2026.
Kawant Haju/AFP via Getty Images
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Kawant Haju/AFP via Getty Images
Two Pakistani officials
told the Associated Press
Wednesday that Iran has received the proposal.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said on social media his country "stands ready" to facilitate talks between the U.S. and Iran to end the war. He followed his statement by tagging the X accounts of President Trump, as well as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi.
— Daniel Estrin
Iranian official mocks negotiation claims
Iranian officials continue to deny that talks are underway, even as President Trump has publicly said U.S. officials are negotiating over the ceasefire plan.
In a recorded video statement aired on Iranian state television Tuesday, Iranian military spokesperson Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari said there were no talks between the United States and Iran.
"The strategic power you used to talk about has turned into a strategic failure," Zolfaghari said. "The one claiming to be a global superpower would have already gotten out of this mess if it could. Don't dress up your defeat as an agreement. Your era of empty promises has come to an end."
He added: "Have your internal conflicts reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves?"
"Our first and last word has been the same from day one, and it will stay that way: Someone like us will never come to terms with someone like you," Zolfaghari said. "Not now, not ever."
Iran says it will allow the passage of "non-hostile" ships through Strait of Hormuz
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it would facilitate the "safe passage" of "non-hostile" ships in the Strait of Hormuz, but excluded vessels belonging to the United States, Israel and others engaged in the war with Iran from transiting through it.
The announcement was
made by Iran's mission in the United Nations
on X.
It followed a letter sent to the U.N. Secretary General, Antonio Guterres on Sunday, asserting that the passage of ships from countries it deemed neutral to the con

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
N/A

### Areas for Consideration
- Ebrahim Zolfaghari said there were no talks between the United States and Iran. "The strategic power you used to talk about has turned into a strategic failure," Zolfaghari said. "The one claiming to be a global superpower would have already gotten out of this mess if it could.

### Implications
- The deployment, combined with two Marine Expeditionary Units already moving toward the Persian Gulf, could bring 6,000 to 8,000 U.S. ground troops into close proximity to Iran – a building that comes as Trump has alternatively said he does not plan to put boots on the ground , while also saying he will not rule it out. — Quil Lawrence Trump Administration drafts ceasefire plan A draft 15-point ceasefire proposal to end the war with Iran, as first reported by the New York Times and Israel's Channel 12, includes calls for Iran to commit to never pursuing nuclear weapons and dismantling any existing nuclear capabilities.
- Ebrahim Zolfaghari said there were no talks between the United States and Iran. "The strategic power you used to talk about has turned into a strategic failure," Zolfaghari said. "The one claiming to be a global superpower would have already gotten out of this mess if it could.
- Your era of empty promises has come to an end." He added: "Have your internal conflicts reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves?" "Our first and last word has been the same from day one, and it will stay that way: Someone like us will never come to terms with someone like you," Zolfaghari said. "Not now, not ever." Iran says it will allow the passage of "non-hostile" ships through Strait of Hormuz The Iranian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it would facilitate the "safe passage" of "non-hostile" ships in the Strait of Hormuz, but excluded vessels belonging to the United States, Israel and others engaged in the war with Iran from transiting through it.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers iran, iranian, middle topics. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 1245.