82nd Airborne Troops Are Being Deployed to Middle East

The Pentagon is tapping one of its fastest-moving units as the White House weighs how far to take its confrontation with Iran. Paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division's 1st Brigade Combat Team and division headquarters at North Carolina's Fort Bragg have been given written orders to head to the Middle East, US officials say, with the Immediate Response Force at the core of the deployment, reports the Washington Post. That unit is designed to move within hours, for missions ranging from taking over airfields to shoring up embassies or helping with evacuations.

The Post notes that "a couple thousand" troops are being deployed, while sources tell the AP that that figure is "at least 1,000," and the Wall Street Journal reports that the unit is "made up of roughly 3,000 soldiers." The New York Times, meanwhile, concurs with the Post and puts the number of troops at around 2,000. The exact number aside, whether any of those troops could end up on Iranian territory remains undecided, officials say, per the Post. A White House rep tells the AP: "President Trump always has all military options at his disposal."

The move comes as three warships holding roughly 4,500 troops from the Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group close in on the region, with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit on board and the 11th MEU following weeks behind, the Post notes. Among the options under consideration: seizing Kharg Island, the Persian Gulf hub that handles most of Iran's oil exports. US officials say the island could likely be taken quickly but defended only under sustained drone and missile fire. Trump previously ordered strikes on military targets there while leaving oil facilities in place, a step that officials say was meant to preserve potential leverage over Tehran.