Updated March 25, 2026 at 4:44 AM MDT
As the war approaches the one-month mark the Trump administration keeps its options open, submitting a ceasefire plan to Iran, while also deploying up to 3,000 U.S. Army paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East.
Revelations about the ceasefire plan come as multiple Iranian officials continue to deny that any negotiations to end the war are taking place.
It also comes as the United States is preparing to deploy up to 3,000 paratroopers to supplement some 50,000 troops already present in the Middle East.
Israel's military, meanwhile, continued to strike the heart of Tehran Wednesday and Iran fired more missiles at Israel.
Here's what else to know about the latest developments in the conflict.
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Deployment of U.S. paratroopers | Ceasefire proposal | Iranian reaction | Strait of Hormuz
Up to 3,000 U.S. Paratroopers to be sent to Middle East
Between 2,000 and 3,000 U.S. Army paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division have received written orders to deploy to the Middle East, according to a U.S. government official who was not authorized to speak publicly.
The troops are expected to come from the division's Immediate Response Force, which can mobilize worldwide within 18 hours.
The deployment, combined with two Marine Expeditionary Units already moving toward the Persian Gulf, could bring 6,000 to 8,000 U.S. ground troops into close proximity to Iran – a building that comes as Trump has alternatively said he does not plan to put boots on the ground, while also saying he will not rule it out.
— Quil Lawrence
Trump Administration drafts ceasefire plan
A draft 15-point ceasefire proposal to end the war with Iran, as first reported by the New York Times and Israel's Channel 12, includes calls for Iran to commit to never pursuing nuclear weapons and dismantling any existing nuclear capabilities.
A person briefed on the proposal told NPR that the summary published by Channel 12 reflected an early version of the proposal, and said there have been changes made since then, though it wasn't clear what those changes were. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. NPR has not seen a copy of the proposal.
Two Pakistani officials told the Associated Press Wednesday that Iran has received the proposal.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday said on social media his country "stands ready" to facilitate talks between the U.S. and Iran to end the war. He followed his statement by tagging the X accounts of President Trump, as well as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi.
— Daniel Estrin
Iranian official mocks negotiation claims
Iranian officials continue to deny that talks are underway, even as President Trump has publicly said U.S. officials are negotiating over the ceasefire plan.
In a recorded video statement aired on Iranian state television Tuesday, Iranian military spokesperson Lt. Col. Ebrahim Zolfaghari said there were no talks between the United States and Iran.
"The strategic power you used to talk about has turned into a strategic failure," Zolfaghari said. "The one claiming to be a global superpower would have already gotten out of this mess if it could. Don't dress up your defeat as an agreement. Your era of empty promises has come to an end."
He added: "Have your internal conflicts reached the point where you are negotiating with yourselves?"
"Our first and last word has been the same from day one, and it will stay that way: Someone like us will never come to terms with someone like you," Zolfaghari said. "Not now, not ever."
Iran says it will allow the passage of "non-hostile" ships through Strait of Hormuz
The Iranian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that it would facilitate the "safe passage" of "non-hostile" ships in the Strait of Hormuz, but excluded vessels belonging to the United States, Israel and others engaged in the war with Iran from transiting through it.
The announcement was made by Iran's mission in the United Nations on X.
It followed a letter sent to the U.N. Secretary General, Antonio Guterres on Sunday, asserting that the passage of ships from countries it deemed neutral to the conflict, would be done "in coordination with the competent Iranian authorities."
The letter also stated that assets belonging to the U.S., Israel and their allies "do not qualify for innocent or non-hostile passage."
Iran's announcement came amid renewed efforts by Washington to discuss an exit strategy from the current conflict and just as thousands of U.S. Marines were ordered to be deployed in the Middle East.
Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a key conduit for about 20 percent of the world's global supply of oil, in response to U.S. and Israeli airstrikes, which began on Feb. 28. Iran attacked some 20 ships during the past three weeks of the conflict and blocked the transit of vessels already in the waters, drawing condemnation from U.N. agencies and human rights organizations.
Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz has also interrupted the global supply of natural gas and fertilizer, with over 1,000 ships, most of them oil tankers, and triggered alarm over the fate of about 20,000 seafarers stranded near the strait.
Initially, Trump asked NATO countries to assist in opening the waterway, but was met with rejection. He then gave Iran an ultimatum to open the waterway by March 23, but has since backed out of that deadline, giving Iranian leaders until the end of the week to comply with his demands.
Recently Iran has allowed some ships from countries it deems neutral parties to the current conflict, to pass. Based on NPR reporting, ships linked to Pakistan and India have been waved through the Strait and that governments of China and Iraq were in negotiations with Iranian authorities to enable a safe passage of their ships. About 90 percent of crude oil destined for Asia passes through Hormuz.
In the letter to the U.N. Security Council member states, Iranian officials also said they had implemented "a set of precautionary measures" and called on countries to comply with them, without specifying what they were.
Oil prices have surged globally since Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and continuous attacks on energy infrastructure in the Gulf countries, with senior international officials warning of the biggest global energy security crisis.
Daniel Estrin contributed from Tel Aviv, Israel, Quil Lawrence from New York, and Rebecca Rosman from Paris.
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