As the war nears a month, the Trump administration is both pursuing a ceasefire plan with Iran and ordering additional U.S. forces to the region. Up to 2,000–3,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division have been given written orders to deploy to the Middle East, a U.S. official said. Those troops would come from the division’s Immediate Response Force, which can mobilize worldwide in about 18 hours.
The move would supplement roughly 50,000 U.S. personnel already in the region and, together with two Marine Expeditionary Units heading toward the Persian Gulf, could place some 6,000–8,000 U.S. ground forces in proximity to Iran. President Trump has repeatedly said he does not plan to put large numbers of boots on the ground, but has stopped short of ruling any option out.
Ceasefire proposal
The administration has drafted a 15-point ceasefire proposal, first reported by the New York Times and Israeli media, that includes requirements for Iran to pledge never to pursue nuclear weapons and to dismantle any existing nuclear capabilities. A person briefed on the plan told NPR that the publicly described version reflected an early draft and that changes had been made since.
Two Pakistani officials told the Associated Press that Iran has received the proposal. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country stands ready to facilitate talks between the U.S. and Iran and signaled outreach to U.S. and Iranian officials on social media.
Iranian reaction
Iranian officials have publicly denied that negotiations are underway. On state television, military spokesperson Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari dismissed reports of talks, saying U.S. officials were trying to dress up a defeat as an agreement and declaring that Iran would never “come to terms” with the United States.
Strait of Hormuz and maritime transit
Iran’s mission to the United Nations said it would allow the “safe passage” of “non-hostile” ships through the Strait of Hormuz but excluded vessels from the U.S., Israel and other countries it deems parties to the conflict. The mission said passage by neutral countries would be coordinated with Iranian authorities and that U.S. and allied assets did not qualify as innocent or non-hostile passage.
The announcement followed weeks in which Iran closed or restricted traffic through the strait after U.S. and Israeli airstrikes and launched attacks on some two dozen ships. The disruption has trapped hundreds of tankers and merchant vessels near the waterway, stranded thousands of seafarers and contributed to sharp increases in global oil and gas prices. Iran has said it implemented “precautionary measures” and warned countries to comply, without specifying the steps.
Regional fighting
Meanwhile, Israel has continued strikes that it says target Iranian assets, and Iran has fired missiles at Israel. The conflict has included exchanges in Lebanon and attacks on energy infrastructure across the Gulf, intensifying global concerns about energy security and regional escalation.
Reporting contributions: Quil Lawrence, Daniel Estrin, Rebecca Rosman.