Thursday 26 / March / 2026
Tehran: Speaker of Iran's Parliament, MB Ghalibaf, said that they have received reports of enemy countries preparing to occupy one of Iran's islands.
He further said that Iran is monitoring all enemy movements.
In a post on X, he said, "Based on some intelligence reports, Iran's enemies are preparing to occupy one of the Iranian islands with support from one of the regional countries. Our forces are monitoring all enemy movements, and if they take any step, all the vital infrastructure of that regional country will be targeted with relentless, unceasing attacks."
Also, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that the US has failed to achieve its key war objectives against Iran, including securing a quick military victory and bringing about regime change in Tehran, as reported by Al Jazeera.
The Pentagon had earlier ordered that some 2,000 more soldiers from the US Army's 82nd Airborne Division move to the Middle East from their North Carolina base, as per Al Jazeera.
That's in addition to two Marine Expeditionary Units already en route from opposite sides of the Pacific: The Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group moving in from Japan. The Boxer Amphibious Ready Group en route from San Diego.
Combined, the backup troops will add between 6,000 and 7,000 marines and sailors to the about 50,000 already positioned in the Middle East, as per Al Jazeera.
The US deployments are among the largest since the Iraq war in 2003, when the US sent 160,000 soldiers. While no ground operation has been ordered, the scale and composition of forces, combined with public statements from US officials, suggest at least three scenarios may be under consideration, as per Al Jazeera.
These include seizing or blockading Kharg Island, clearing Iran's coastline to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and, in the most consequential scenario, securing Iran's nuclear material.
