Iran has declared it has mobilised more than one million fighters to repel any American ground assault, as the United States extends a deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to April 6 and steps up military preparations across the Gulf.
Iran’s state-run Tasnim News Agency, citing a military source, reported that regime fighters were growing increasingly eager to create what it called a historic ordeal for any American troops who set foot on Iranian soil. The source claimed that young Iranians had been applying in large numbers to enlist in the army, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), and the volunteer Basij militia.
Iran’s ground forces commander, Brigadier General Ali Jahanshahi, told troops during a border visit on Thursday that every inch of Iranian territory was being protected and that all enemy movements along the borders were being closely monitored, pledging readiness for any scenario.
On the diplomatic front, Trump pulled back from a potential strike escalation. The original five-day pause on attacks on Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure was due to expire on Friday, but Trump announced via Truth Social that he was extending it by ten days, saying Iran had requested the delay and that talks were going very well. Trump revealed at a Cabinet meeting that Iran had allowed ten oil-carrying ships through the Strait of Hormuz as a gesture of good faith during the talks.
US envoy Steve Witkoff confirmed that Washington had presented Tehran with a 15-point peace framework through Pakistan as mediator. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi acknowledged the exchange of messages through intermediaries but stopped short of calling it a formal negotiation, saying Tehran had sent its own counter-proposal demanding an end to attacks, war reparations, and recognition of Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
Despite the diplomatic window, the military build-up has continued to expand. The Pentagon has ordered approximately 2,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division’s Immediate Response Force to the Middle East, adding to two Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) already en route. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth confirmed that US Central Command had requested the reinforcements to expand operational options.
The Pentagon is also weighing sending as many as 10,000 additional ground troops, according to a Wall Street Journal report, although no final decision on committing forces inside Iran has been authorised.
Military analysts have cautioned against reading the deployments as preparation for a full-scale invasion. Senior fellow Ruben Stewart of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) noted that what is notably absent are the heavy armoured units, logistics depth, and command structures required for a prolonged ground war, describing the force as consistent with discrete, time-limited operations rather than a sustained campaign.
Brent crude oil futures rose more than 5.6 percent on Thursday, closing at $108.01 a barrel, as markets absorbed the simultaneous signals of diplomatic outreach and military escalation. The benchmark S&P 500 index fell 1.74 percent, its steepest single-day drop since the start of 2026.
