U.S. Army paratroopers board an aircraft at Fort Bragg, N.C., on Dec. 9, 2025. The Pentagon is weighing a plan to deploy up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East, joining roughly 5,000 Marines and 2,000 Fort Bragg-based paratroopers already headed to the region, as officials consider options to support potential operations in Iran. (Scott Shoaff/U.S. Army)
The Pentagon is considering sending up to 10,000 more ground troops to the Middle East to potentially support operations in Iran in a move aimed at giving President Donald Trump more military options, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
If approved, the force would likely include infantry and armored vehicles, and would join the roughly 5,000 Marines headed to the region and thousands of Fort Bragg-based paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division, defense officials told the Journal.
Axios on Friday also said that the Defense Department was weighing whether to dispatch 10,000 more troops to the region.
The Okinawa-based 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and U.S. sailors arrived in the Middle East on Friday aboard the USS Tripoli, U.S. Central Command said Saturday on X. A second Marine force from San Diego could arrive within a few weeks.
The moves would add significantly more firepower to the contingent already ordered to the Middle East.
While it was unclear where such forces would be positioned, they would likely be within striking distance of Iran and Kharg Island, a small strip of land in the Persian Gulf that handles 90% of Iran’s oil exports, the Journal reported.
The troop buildup comes as the White House says it is engaged in talks to end the joint U.S.-Israeli operation, which launched on Feb. 28 and has resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. troops.
Since the start of the conflict, the Strait of Hormuz has been effectively closed to commercial ship traffic. The waterway’s closure has caused oil and gas prices to surge, sparking concerns about wider economic implications for the global economy.
If Trump decides to launch a ground operation, one possible mission could be seizing Kharg Island as part of efforts to free the Strait of Hormuz.
The island, which has already come under heavy fire from U.S. airstrikes, is packed with oil infrastructure, a civilian population of industry workers and an unknown number of military personnel.
Trump has referred to the island as Iran’s “crown jewel.” A potential assault on the island could involve everything from an amphibious landing by Marines to paratroopers flying directly into the area or a combination of those tactics.
U.S. forces could also attempt to gain control of elements of Iran’s nuclear program. Reuters last week reported Trump administration officials were considering a mission to secure Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.
The White House has said one of the main objectives of the ongoing airstrike campaign is to eliminate Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons and dismantle its ability to launch missiles.
In June, the U.S. carried out bunker-busting attacks on Iran’s nuclear program that were believed to set the program back years. However, the status of Iran’s nearly 1,000 pounds of enriched uranium remains unclear.
Suspected locations for the material include damaged tunnel complexes at Iran’s Isfahan nuclear site and inside facilities at Fordow and Natanz.
