What is the story about?
Amid plans to invade Iran, US President Donald Trump is considering deploying an additional 10,000 troops to West Asia, according to Wall Street Journal.
Since launching the war on Iran with Israel last month, Trump has already ordered around 4,500 Marines and 2,000 paratroopers to West Asia.
The additional deployment would likely include infantry and armoured vehicles and give Trump more military options in his dealings with Iran, as per The Journal.
Follow our live coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran here
The development has come hours after Trump announced a 10-day extension to the moratorium on strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure — the moratorium was previously ending on Friday. He said that "talks are ongoing" with Iran "are going very well".
Trump has pursued a carrots-and-sticks approach where he has pursued diplomacy through mediators and ramped up deployment at the same time. The nature of deployment has suggested that he could have decided on invading Iran, or at least its offshore energy infrastructure like the Kharg island, in case talks collapse.
The Marines and paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division specialise in expeditionary operations involving incursions, seizures, and territory‑holding. These types of forces will come in handy if Trump decides to launch ground operations, such as seizing or destroying the Kharg Island, Iran’s main terminal for petroleum exports, which handles up to 90 per cent of Iran’s oil and gas shipments.
In the midst of Trump's carrots-and-sticks approach, Iran has responded cautiously as it fears being played for a third time — the United States and Israel attacked Iran last year and then again last month during negotiations.
Iran has publicly rejected Trump's 15-point proposal and floated its own five-point plan. But there are reports that backchannel indirect negotiations continue between the two sides and Iran is willing to make a deal.
In recent days, Trump has come under pressure at home and abroad from rising oil and gas prices, worsening economic outlook, and rising recession odds. He has also failed to outline the war's goals, approach, and status, and appears to be looking for a face-saving exit now that it has become clear he would not be able to achieve regime change in Iran like in Venezuela — a goal rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of Iran.
Since launching the war on Iran with Israel last month, Trump has already ordered around 4,500 Marines and 2,000 paratroopers to West Asia.
The additional deployment would likely include infantry and armoured vehicles and give Trump more military options in his dealings with Iran, as per The Journal.
Follow our live coverage of the US-Israeli war on Iran here
The development has come hours after Trump announced a 10-day extension to the moratorium on strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure — the moratorium was previously ending on Friday. He said that "talks are ongoing" with Iran "are going very well".
Trump has pursued a carrots-and-sticks approach where he has pursued diplomacy through mediators and ramped up deployment at the same time. The nature of deployment has suggested that he could have decided on invading Iran, or at least its offshore energy infrastructure like the Kharg island, in case talks collapse.
The Marines and paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division specialise in expeditionary operations involving incursions, seizures, and territory‑holding. These types of forces will come in handy if Trump decides to launch ground operations, such as seizing or destroying the Kharg Island, Iran’s main terminal for petroleum exports, which handles up to 90 per cent of Iran’s oil and gas shipments.
In the midst of Trump's carrots-and-sticks approach, Iran has responded cautiously as it fears being played for a third time — the United States and Israel attacked Iran last year and then again last month during negotiations.
Iran has publicly rejected Trump's 15-point proposal and floated its own five-point plan. But there are reports that backchannel indirect negotiations continue between the two sides and Iran is willing to make a deal.
In recent days, Trump has come under pressure at home and abroad from rising oil and gas prices, worsening economic outlook, and rising recession odds. He has also failed to outline the war's goals, approach, and status, and appears to be looking for a face-saving exit now that it has become clear he would not be able to achieve regime change in Iran like in Venezuela — a goal rooted in a fundamental misunderstanding of Iran.
