Pentagon weighs sending 10,000 more ground troops to Middle East

The Pentagon is looking at sending up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to give US President Donald Trump more military options, even as he weighs peace talks with Tehran, Defense Department officials with knowledge of the planning said, Report informs via The Wall Street Journal.

Trump earlier said he was pausing strikes on Iran's energy sector for 10 more days, to April 6, so negotiations can take place beyond his previous Friday deadline.

Peace talk mediators said Iran didn't ask for the additional time. Trump said the extension was at Iran's request.

On February 28, the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran. As a result, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior officials were killed. Following this, Iran began striking targets not only in Israel but also at US and allied military bases located in Gulf countries. Due to the situation in the Middle East, some regional states temporarily closed their airspace. Shortly after launching a joint operation against Iran, armed conflict between the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Hezbollah resumed.