The US is deploying thousands of additional troops to the Middle East to pressure Iran into agreeing to a truce

The United States is set to deploy thousands of additional troops to the Middle East in the coming days as part of efforts to pressure Iran into reaching an agreement, The Washington Post reported, citing US officials.

The deployment will include sailors and Marines and comes as the administration of Donald Trump intensifies efforts to enforce a maritime blockade targeting Iran, the report added.

According to the report, the move is part of broader attempts to push Tehran toward ending the conflict, while Washington is also weighing further military options should a fragile ceasefire collapse.

The report comes amid heightened tensions, as Iran’s top joint military command warned that its forces would act to disrupt trade flows in the Red Sea and other regional waters if the United States continues blocking Iranian vessels in the Persian Gulf.

The commander of the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters said Iran would not allow imports or exports to continue across the Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and the Red Sea under such circumstances.

During the first bilateral talks in decades—held in Pakistan on Sunday—Iran signaled defiance against US “maximalist demands,” including calls to suspend what it described as its peaceful nuclear programme for at least 20 years.

With both sides remaining entrenched, the marathon negotiations stretched into the early hours before ultimately collapsing. Another round of talks is expected within days, Trump told the New York Post on Tuesday, as Washington appears to be preparing additional military leverage ahead of renewed discussions.

Beyond troop deployments, US Marines have already begun close-quarters combat training aboard the USS Tripoli, which is operating in the Arabian Sea and participating in the enforcement of the blockade, according to United States Central Command.

“Tripoli is currently executing a mission to blockade ships entering and departing Iranian ports,” CENTCOM said in a post on X, adding that the blockade is being applied uniformly to vessels of all nations.

The command also noted that the training is designed to prepare Marines for operations such as maritime interception missions.