The US deploys 1,500 troops from the 82nd Airborne
Chief National Security Correspondent Jennifer Griffin reports the latest on the Iran conflict as approximately 1,500 additional troops and key personnel are deployed to the Middle East.
Iran could significantly increase the number of US casualties if its elite military and proxy forces turn to guerrilla-style hit-and-run attacks in the region, a leading military analyst has warned.
Michaël Eisenstadt of the Washington Institute The Near East policy spoke as the Pentagon moved elements of the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East amid a new escalation of the conflict, according to reports.
“The 82nd Force is too small to inflict significant damage on Iran, but large enough to be vulnerable to Iranian attacks, and this would allow Iran to significantly increase U.S. casualties,” he said.
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The deployment of the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East is intended to pressure Iran to accept U.S. ceasefire terms, military analyst Michael Eisenstadt said. (Sarah Blake Morgan/AP Photo)
Eisenstadt, who has worked as a U.S. government military analyst, asserted that even as major conventional operations in the Middle East begin to decline, the danger may evolve rather than disappear.
“We could see an end to major combat operations, with activities shifting to guerrilla-style hit-and-run attacks in the Gulf and other gray zone activities by Iran,” he said.
“Think of the aftermath of the Gulf War with Iraq in 1991, where we had to contain the Iraqis for ten years after a very successful war.”
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Naval units from Iran and Russia simulate the rescue of a hijacked ship during joint exercises on February 19 at the port of Bandar Abbas in Hormozgan, Iran. (Iranian Army/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The contingent is expected to consist of Maj. Gen. Brandon R. Tegtmeier, the division commander, elements of his headquarters staff and infantry battalions from the division’s Immediate Response Force.
Officials also indicated that the total number of troops ultimately sent could still change.
Eisenstadt said the new deployment is aimed at increasing pressure on Tehran as the US pushes for new ceasefire terms set by President Donald Trump.
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President Donald Trump speaks to the media before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday. (Mark Schiefelbein/AP Photo)
“This deployment is intended to exert influence on Iran and pressure it to accept US terms for a ceasefire. It would also create military options if Iran rejects those terms,” he said.
In that scenario, he said, the 82nd could potentially operate alongside Navy expeditionary units in operations to capture and hold terrain, including Kharg Island, located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) off Iran’s Gulf coast.
According to multiple reports, US forces attacked military targets there on March 13, destroying more than 90 Iranian military sites while deliberately sparing key oil infrastructure.
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Satellite photo of Kharg Island, located in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Iran. (Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel data 2024)
“The 82nd Brigade Combat Team could work together with the 11th and 31st MEUs, or independently, to capture and hold terrain – such as Kharg Island,” Eisenstadt said.
“This would provide leverage over Iran by denying it the ability to export oil and help end the war on terms favorable to the US.”
“However, there are risks involved, as Iranian units on the mainland could bomb Kharg Island and inflict casualties on US forces there as well,” Eisenstadt said.
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President Donald Trump warned on Saturday that the US could attack Iranian power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not reopened. (Aaron Schwartz/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Gallo Images/Orbital Horizon/Copernicus Sentinel Data 2025 via Getty Images)
The latest military build-up comes as the conflict that began with Operation Epic Fury on February 28 has also focused on the Strait of Hormuz, with Iran restricting access.
“The 82nd deployment is intended to increase psychological pressure on Iran and support efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz so that it can once again be used by all countries,” Eisenstadt explained.
The 82nd Airborne is one of the U.S. Army’s premier rapid response units, trained to secure key ground and airfields by parachute into hostile or contested territory.
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Parts of the division have also spent recent days at the Joint Readiness Training Center, honing their infiltration, surveillance, combat and supply skills. Axios reported.
“Iranian military officials have welcomed the news of the deployment of these units to the Gulf as it may create opportunities for them to impose costs on the US,” Eisenstadt said.
