The Pentagon is expected to deploy thousands of troops from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East at the same time that US President Donald Trump talks about “very good” talks with Iran and reports say the US has sent a 15-point ceasefire proposal to Tehran.
Does this mean Trump wants peace or does he want the Iran war to continue? Why is he considering both diplomatic and military options? Trump’s actions are leaving Iran guessing and sending mixed signals.
Behind Trump’s steps
As the war against Iran entered its fourth week, a New York Times report on Tuesday (March 24) claimed the Pentagon had ordered about 2,000 troops from the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to begin moving to the Middle East.
President Trump has previously confirmed that negotiations with Iran are underway and has claimed that the war will end. However, Iran rejected Trump’s claims, saying that Iran and the US have not held talks, either directly or indirectly.
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The NYT report cited two Defense Department officials who said the military moves are aimed at giving President Trump additional military options even as he considers a new diplomatic initiative with Iran.
Meanwhile, U.S. and Israeli officials told Axios that Trump is simultaneously trying to build options for diplomacy and military escalation to make a decision based on developments.
On Tuesday, Trump told Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to continue military pressure on Iran, according to a White House official. “We’re negotiating with bombs,” Hegseth told reporters in the Oval Office shortly afterward.
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Officials have also been quoted as saying that another two to three weeks of war are planned even if the talks do take place.
As Iran questioned the United States’ seriousness about negotiations and a peace deal, a Trump aide told Axios, “Trump has one hand open for a deal and the other is a fist waiting to punch you in the…face.”
Iranian media interpreted the adviser’s statement as suggesting that he was referring to the buildup of American forces as “leverage.”
According to Axios, Iranian officials have told the mediators — Pakistan, Egypt and Turkey — that U.S. military movements and Trump’s decision to deploy large troop reinforcements have increased their suspicions that his proposal for peace talks is a ruse.
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But for the Trump administration, the gathering of forces is a sign that it is serious about gunboat negotiations, not that it is negotiating in bad faith, Axios reported.
Many also see the troop deployment as a sign that the U.S. — despite all the talk of negotiations — is retaining the possibility of further escalation.
Iran questions US proposal for peace talks
In an interview with India Today TV, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Beghaei said he believed his country had been betrayed — not once, but twice — while sitting at the negotiating table.
“We were in negotiations with the United States. We were in a serious diplomatic process when they attacked Iran — when they betrayed that process,” Beghaei said.
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He recalled: “Please remember: we were attacked on February 28. We were supposed to meet the following Monday. We agreed to continue the talks in Vienna to discuss the technical details of a possible deal, and they attacked Iran.”
“This was not the first time. They attacked Iran in June just two days before the sixth round of negotiations. Iran is defending itself and will continue to do so as long as these attacks continue,” Beghaei said.
Iran has time and again questioned the intent and seriousness of the United States regarding negotiations with Iran.
Are there peace talks between the US and Iran?
Trump posted on social media on March 23 that the U.S. and Iran had “very good and productive conversations over the past two days regarding the full and complete resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East.”
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The US president also announced that based on the “content and tone of these in-depth, detailed and constructive talks”, he ordered the US War Department to “postpone any military strikes against Iran’s power plants and energy infrastructure for a five-day period, subject to the success of ongoing meetings and discussions”.
He added that negotiations will continue during the week.
However, Iran’s view of the ongoing conflict differed from Trump’s claims.
In a video published by Fars News, an Iranian military spokesman mocked the US and said the situation has reached a stage where the Americans are negotiating with themselves.
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Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Beghaei told India Today television that “there are no talks or negotiations between Iran and the United States.”
“No one can trust the diplomacy of the United States. Our position is clear in what they have said. Right now, our brave military is focused on defending Iran’s territory and sovereignty against this brutal and illegal war,” Beghaei was quoted as saying by Reuters.
A proposal for a truce
A day later, reports emerged claiming that Iran had received a 15-point proposal from the US seeking a ceasefire in the war.
Two Pakistani officials told The Associated Press that the proposal broadly includes:
2. Civil nuclear cooperation
3. Repeal of Iran’s nuclear program
5. Monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency
7. Access for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz
The Trump administration has reportedly offered the plan to Iran as the US appears to be seeking to end the war even as more troops head to the Middle East.
The US may deploy units of the 82nd Airborne Division
The Trump administration has also ordered the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to deploy about 2,000 troops to the Middle East, sources told the NYT and Bloomberg on Tuesday. However, the Associated Press and CBS News reported that troop numbers could be limited to 1,000.
The unit is considered the army’s rescue force and can usually be deployed at short notice.
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According to reports, the 82nd Airborne Division will rapidly deploy within 18 hours of notification, deploying strategically, conducting forced-entry parachute assaults and securing key targets for subsequent military operations.
It is the latest addition of US troops after US officials said last week that thousands of Marines would be heading to the region aboard several Navy ships.
