Maj. Gen. Brandon Tegtmeier, the chief of the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, and his headquarters staff have been ordered to the Middle East as the Pentagon prepares for potential ground operations in Iran, The Intercept reported Tuesday, citing two US government officials.
The New York Times reported a day earlier that the US War Department was considering deploying the 82nd Airborne’s “Immediate Response Force,” a brigade of about 3,000 soldiers, and that order is now said to be imminent.
Thousands of US Marines are also heading for the Middle East as the Trump administration is considering several options for ground operations, including seizing Iran’s Kharg Island, taking control of Iranian ports and oil infrastructure, or securing Iran’s stockpile of uranium that’s enriched at 60%, which is believed to be buried under rubble following the June 2025 US airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Any one of the potential ground operations is fraught with risk and could result in massive US casualties, as US forces would face significant and sustained Iranian drone and missile attacks. It would also be difficult for a few thousand US troops to hold Kharg Island or any of Iran’s ports once they are captured.
One of the sources speaking to The Intercept said that President Trump’s fascination and fixation with the US attack on Venezuela, dubbed “Operation Absolute Resolve,” to abduct Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, may lead him to order something similar in Iran.
From Trump’s perspective, the attack on Venezuela was a resounding success since no Americans were killed, though the operation involved major airstrikes on Caracas and killed at least 83 people, including Venezuelan troops, Cuban guards, and four civilians.
