According to the Wall Street Journal a written order to dispatch the 82nd from their base in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, is expected imminently. The report follows Fox News identifying the commander of the 82nd, Major General Brandon Tegtmeier, being ordered to deploy along with the soldiers.
The 82nd is one of several airborne US units, and similar to the 75th which is thought to be the equivalent of the British Army's Parachute Regiment.
The WSJ report comes as airstrikes battered Iran and Iranian missiles and drones targeted Israel's Tel Aviv and sites across the Middle East overnight and into Tuesday, even as President Donald Trump said the United States claimed they were in talks with the Islamic Republic to end the conflict started by the US and Israel on February 28.
Thousands of US Marines are also on their way to the Gulf even after President Donald Trump delayed his self-imposed deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran's chokehold on that crucial waterway has snarled international shipping, sent fuel prices skyrocketing, and threatened the world economy. The strait usually carries around 20% of the world's oil and gas tanker supply.
Iran has threatened to mine the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz if the US appears to be on the verge of landing troops.
Trump said he would hold off on a threat to bomb Iran's power stations while talks unfold between the US and Iran through mediators — a delay that could be aimed at buying time for the marines to arrive, the New York-based think tank the Soufan Center wrote in an analysis.
However, the center also noted that “Trump could be actively seeking an offer.”
Trump has so far said he has no plans to send ground forces into Iran but has not ruled it out. Israel has suggested its ground forces could participate in the war.