Donald Trump is said to be weighing up whether to send the 82nd Airborne Division to the Gulf region as the conflict with Iran stretches into its fourth week, despite supposed peace talks.
The elite paratrooper unit, dubbed the "Immediate Response Force" and renowned for its parachute assault capabilities, could furnish approximately 3,000 soldiers for a potential operation to seize Kharg Island, according to the New York Times.
The strategic Iranian facility handles nine-tenths of the country's petroleum exports, making it a critical target.
Sources indicated these preparations constitute "prudent planning" while thousands of Marines simultaneously make their way to the Middle East.
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However, reportedly no deployment orders have been issued to the 82nd Airborne as of yet.
When pressed by journalists regarding the prospect of American ground forces, Mr Trump said: "Well, let me ask you this: If you were in my position and I asked you that question, do you really believe I'd give you that? It's a crazy question."
Approximately 2,500 Marines aboard three vessels were dispatched to the region last week, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Additionally, the Japan-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit is en route and expected to arrive on Friday, coinciding with Mr Trump's deadline for Tehran to secure a peace agreement.
Donald Trump is said to be weighing up whether to send the 82nd Airborne Division to the Gulf region as the conflict with Iran stretches into its fourth week, despite supposed peace talks
|REUTERS
Former American military commanders suggested the Marines would likely be deployed first, given their combat engineers possess the expertise to reconstruct Kharg Island's airfield, which sustained damage during recent US bombardments.
The 82nd Airborne would subsequently follow once the runway was operational.
The Wall Street Journal confirmed the Friday arrival date for the Marine unit.
President Trump has suspended airstrikes targeting Iranian energy infrastructure for a five-day period as his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner attempt to broker a peace agreement.
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US envoy Steve Witkoff is due in Iran for peace talks along with Jared Kushner
|GETTY
The President has spoken of achieving "a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East."
Iranian officials have firmly rejected Mr Trump's assertions of ongoing peace negotiations.
A spokesman told the Fars News Agency, which maintains close ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, that there is "no direct or indirect contact with Trump."
Axios reported that Mr Kushner and Mr Witkoff have been communicating with Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of Iran's parliament, though it remains unclear whether he is the individual the President referenced.
The new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not been seen publicly since American strikes killed his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on February 28.
"We have not heard from the son," Mr Trump told reporters. "We don't know if he's living."
Should negotiations collapse, the President warned the US would "just keep bombing our little hearts out."
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