US to deploy 3000 paratroopers to Middle East: Reports
Reports are emerging that the United States is planning to send in thousands of elite paratroopers to the Middle East as US President Trump tries to get the Strait of Hormuz reopened to shipping traffic.
Source: Fox News
The US is planning to deploy 3000 elite paratroopers to the Middle East to support operations against Iran, according to reports.
The 82nd Airborne combat brigade can be deployed anywhere in the world in less than 24 hours, parachuting into hostile territory to secure airfields and land.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the emergency response force was on standby should it be given the word. The newspaper cited two US officials, with an announcement expected within hours on Wednesday (AEDT).
âA decision to put boots on the ground in Iran hasnât been made, officials cautioned,â it reported.
âBut the movement of the 82nd opens the door for [US President] Donald Trump to try to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by force, seize Iranâs strategic islands or coastline or launch a mission to capture the regimeâs highly enriched uranium should he choose to do so.â
The US has a baseline of roughly 50,000 troops stationed across the Middle East.
The report comes a day after Trump said there had been âvery good and productiveâ talks aiming at halting the âwar unleashed by the US and Israel.
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Three senior Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump appeared determined to reach a deal, but that they thought it highly unlikely Iran would agree to US demands in any new âround of negotiations.
After Trumpâs Truth Social comment on Monday, Iran said no talks had yet been held.
Iranâs embassy in South Africa took to X to mock Trumpâs idea that he could control the Strait of Hormuz.
On Wednesday (AEDT), Britainâs Financial Times reported that Iran would allow ânon-hostile âvesselsâ to transit the Strait of Hormuz if they âco-ordinated with Iranian authorities.
The war has all but halted shipments of about a fifth of the âworldâs oil âand â liquefied natural gas through the Strait of âHormuz, causing oil supply disruption.
In the letter circulated among International Maritime Organisation members on Tuesday, Iranâs foreign ministry said Tehran had âtaken necessary and proportionate measures to prevent the aggressors and â their supporters from exploiting the âStrait âof Hormuz to advance hostile operations against Iranâ, the ânewspaper said.
Tehran âsaid in the letter that vessels linked to âthe US and Israel, as well as âother participants in the aggression, do not qualify for innocent âor ânon-hostile passageâ, the âFT said.
The London-based United Nations shipping agency regulates the safety and security of international shipping and preventing pollution, and comprises 176 member âstates.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who spoke to Trump less than 48 hours before their countries began the war, was expected to convene security officials for talks on Trumpâs bid for a deal with Iran, two senior Israeli officials said.
A Pakistani official has said direct talks may be held in Islamabad this week.
The US âand Israel launched strikes on âIran on February 28 after saying they had â failed to make enough headway in talks aimed at ending Iranâs nuclear program, even though mediator Oman said there had been significant progress.
Since then, Iran has attacked countries âthat host US bases, struck key Gulf energy infrastructure and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz.
Israel is also carrying out a separate operation against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants who have attacked it from Lebanon in support of Iran.
Despite diplomatic signals from Washington, there were no signs of conflict abating in the Gulf or Lebanon.
Iranian missiles triggered air raid sirens in Israelâs biggest city, Tel Aviv, on Tuesday, where gaping holes were torn through a multistorey apartment building. It was not immediately clear if the damage had been caused by a direct hit â or debris from an interception.
Israelâs Fire and Rescue Service said it was searching for civilians trapped in one building.
Israelâs military said its fighter jets âhad carried out a large wave of âstrikes in central Tehran on Monday, targeting key command centres, including facilities associated with the IRGCâs intelligence arm and the Intelligence Ministry. It said it had hit more than 50 other targets overnight, including ballistic missile storage and launch sites.
Air defence systems were activated across âTehran as explosions were heard âsimultaneously in several areas of the capital, according to the Iranian news agency Nournews.
At least eight people were killed and 28 injured in a strike on a residential area of Tabriz, a city of 1.7 million in Iranâs northwest, the provincial director âfor crisis management told Tasnim news agency.
-with AAP
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