Iran War Enters 26th Day: U.S. to Deploy 82nd Airborne 

The Iran war entered its 26th day on Wednesday as Iran denied President Donald Trump’s claim that ceasefire talks were underway and the United States continued reinforcing its military presence in the region.

In an X post on Tuesday afternoon, Saeed Jalili, Khameinei’s representative to Iran’s national security council, contrasted how Trump last week “spoke of changing the regime and the dismemberment of Iran” but “now yearns for someone in Iran to engage in dialogue with him.” 

On Wednesday morning, a spokesman for Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters addressed Trump with the message: “Do not call your defeat an ‘agreement.” Dismissing recent Israeli media reports that Iran and the U.S. are engaged in ceasefire contacts, the spokesman mocked Washington, asking whether its internal divisions had reached the point where it was now “negotiating with itself.”

Iran’s Fars News Agency, citing an informed source, said Wednesday that Tehran rejected a U.S. ceasefire proposal and viewed negotiations with Washington as “illogical” while the war continues.

The New York Times, citing two anonymous officials, had reported that the Trump administration sent Iran a 15-point proposal aimed at ending the regional war, delivered through Pakistan, but said it had not seen the document and could confirm only that it broadly addresses Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs and maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz. Israeli outlets claimed the plan would include a month-long ceasefire during negotiations, dismantling Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, removing enriched uranium from the country, halting support for regional proxy forces, and keeping Hormuz open to shipping. 

Meanwhile, CNN reported, citing anonymous “regional sources,” that Iran had requested ceasefire talks with J.D. Vance, preferring the Vice President as a negotiator to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. 

Tehran’s repeated public denials of any direct or indirect contacts with Washington cast doubt on those accounts.

The price of Brent Crude fell to $94.50 per barrel, down nearly 6 percent, on the announcement of Trump’s ceasefire proposal. Gas prices remained elevated on Wednesday, with AAA reporting the national average price of gas at $3.98.

Vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz remained severely disrupted Wednesday, with MarineTraffic data showing just nine ships per day transiting since March 23 against the normal 100–120 daily.

The Financial Times reported that the Iran war has strengthened the Islamic Republic’s global “shadow fleet.” Iran has been loading about 1.5 million barrels and putting at least 15 Iranian tankers through the Strait of Hormuz a day since the war began, earning the country an estimated $140 million each day of the war.

POLITICO reported Tuesday that the Pentagon is preparing to send about 3,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne to the Middle East, adding to roughly 7,000 Marines already headed to the theater and bringing the total U.S. buildup to around 10,000 additional troops on top of 50,000 already in the region. 

The Pentagon disclosed on Tuesday that 290 U.S. troops have been wounded in the war.

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammed-Bagher Ghalibaf said on X that Tehran was “closely monitoring all U.S. movements in the region, especially troop deployments.” 

“Do not test our resolve to defend our land,” he added.

Israel’s Kann News reported on Monday that Mossad’s plans to overthrow the Iranian government have not been fully implemented, expecting their efforts to continue for months or even a year after the war ends.

Days after Israel issued evacuation orders in southern Lebanon under what Defense Minister Israel Katz called “the model in Gaza,” the IDF pushed further into Lebanon, with Israeli strikes killing two paramedics and Hezbollah claiming a fresh wave of retaliatory attacks.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said Ali Jaber and Joud Suleiman, both from the Nabatieh Emergency Service, were killed Tuesday when an Israeli airstrike hit them en route to a rescue mission in Nabatieh. The ministry said they were in official medical uniforms and on a clearly marked emergency motorcycle, and said 42 paramedics have been killed since March 2.

A Hezbollah rocket barrage killed a 27-year-old woman near Rosh Pina on Tuesday, while separate Iranian missile fire wounded two people in Safed.

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