Pentagon orders more troops to Mideast amid Iran diplomacy push
U.S. soldiers disembark from U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III as they arrive at Rzeszow-Jasionka Airport, Poland, on Feb. 6, 2022. Reuters-Yonhap
WASHINGTON — The United States will be deploying additional U.S. troops to the Middle East, a Pentagon official said Wednesday, amid budding diplomatic efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to find an off-ramp from the ongoing war against Iran.
The official's remark came after The New York Times reported Tuesday that the Pentagon ordered about 2,000 soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division to start moving to the Middle East, bringing the total number of additional troops dispatched to the region since the war began on Feb. 28 to nearly 7,000.
"We can confirm elements of the 82nd Airborne Division HQs, some division enablers and the 1st BCT will be deploying to the CENTCOM AOR," the official told Yonhap News Agency via email. "Due to operations security we have nothing additional to provide at this time."
HQs, BCT and CENTCOM AOR are short for headquarters, brigade combat team and Central Command area of responsibility.
The deployment of troops came amid reports that Pakistan relayed the Trump administration's 15-point peace proposal to Iran, which involves U.S. demands on Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs and its uranium stockpiles, among other issues.
Iran responded negatively to the U.S. proposal, insisting that it will only occur on Tehran's own terms and timeline, according to Iran's semi-official Mehr News Agency in a social media post, which cited a Press TV interview with a senior Iranian official.
On Tuesday, Trump reiterated that negotiations with the Islamic Republic were underway, despite Iran's rejection of the claims about the negotiations.
The U.S. diplomatic push came amid growing concerns about the economic repercussions of the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran on oil prices and inflation -- key economic issues that could affect voter sentiment ahead of crucial midterm elections, where control of Congress is at stake.