Washington Post: The US military canceled large-scale exercises
In a surprising military development, the Washington Post revealed that the US military has canceled large-scale exercises scheduled for the command unit of the 82nd Airborne Division, in a move that has sparked widespread speculation about the possibility of redeploying these elite forces to the Middle East, specifically to join the ongoing military operations against Iran.
The Washington Post quoted informed sources within the Pentagon as saying that the abrupt cancellation of the exercises at the Fort Bragg base in North Carolina indicates that there may be plans to deploy soldiers specialized in ground combat and other tactical missions in the Middle East theater of operations.
This military development comes in apparent contradiction to previous statements by US President Donald Trump, who had ruled out the idea of sending ground troops to Iran.
In an interview with NBC News, Trump justified his stance by saying that the Iranians have lost everything, and they lost their navy.
They have lost everything they can lose,” he said, referring to the scale of the blows Tehran has received so far.
This discrepancy between presidential statements and military moves on the ground adds to the uncertainty about the upcoming US strategy.
On the other hand, Iran’s response to these speculations has been defiant and decisive.
In an interview with NBC, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that his country has been preparing for this war for a long time, and that the armed forces are working to turn it into a quagmire for every party that decides to fight it.
Asked about Iran’s fear of a U.S. ground invasion, Araghchi confidently said, “On the contrary… We are waiting for them”.
When asked if that meant that Iran was waiting for the US to send troops, he replied, “Yes… Because we are confident in our ability to face it… If that happens, it will be a great disaster for the Americans”.
Araghchi stressed that Iran is more prepared for this war than it was in previous confrontations (referring to the June 2025 war), pointing to the efficiency of Iranian missiles and the many lessons learned by the armed forces.
“Our soldiers are ready for all eventualities, including a ground invasion,” he said.
The Iranian foreign minister also criticized the US administration, accusing it of not being serious, revealing that Tehran has negotiated twice with the current administration, but they have witnessed US attacks on Iran during the talks.
Araghchi held Washington fully responsible for the bloodshed in the ongoing confrontation, stressing that it was its policies that pushed the region towards escalation.
Between the cancellation of the 82nd Airborne Division’s exercises, Trump’s contradictory statements, and Araghchi’s confident threats, the region appears to be on the cusp of a new phase that could witness for the first time a direct ground confrontation between US and Iranian forces.
Such a move would mark a dramatic escalation in a war that is the most violent in decades, and Araghchi’s prophecy of turning into a quagmire for both sides has come true.
