Trump Orders Deployment of Airborne Troops

The U.S. Department of Defense has reportedly ordered an elite Army airborne unit to deploy in a move to support potential military operations against Iran, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 25th. The combat brigade belonging to the 82nd Airborne Division is an Army rapid response force capable of deploying anywhere in the world within 24 hours and has been trained for deployment in conflict zones. Separately, the U.S. is also deploying approximately 5,000 Marines to areas near Iran, a move seen by analysts as reinforcement in preparation for a potential ground conflict.

The report rattled the New York stock market, causing international oil prices, Treasury yields, and the dollar exchange rate to fluctuate wildly. Cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, saw significant drops.

An Israeli official stated that President Trump desires an agreement with Iran but the possibility of successful dialogue is slim. Iranian media, meanwhile, indicated that no negotiations with the U.S. had taken place. Iran recently appointed hardliner Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) general, as the successor to Ali Larijani, the secretary of the Supreme National Security Council who was killed in a recent Israeli airstrike.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on the 24th (local time) at a swearing-in ceremony for the new Secretary of Homeland Security at the White House that he had received a "big gift" of "tremendous value" from Iran. Trump explained the gift was related to oil and gas, not nuclear weapons. He added that Iran had agreed to no longer possess or enrich uranium for nuclear weapons, expressing a positive outlook on the negotiation situation.