Pentagon weighs sending 10,000 more ground troops to Middle East: report

WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is considering deploying up to 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East to give US President Donald Trump more military options beyond diplomacy, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The force, likely to include infantry and armored vehicles, would be added to the roughly 5,000 Marines and thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division already ordered to the region, said the report, citing Department of Defense officials.

It is unclear exactly where the forces will be deployed in the Middle East, but they are expected to be within striking distance of Iran and its Kharg Island, a crucial oil export hub, the report added.

"All announcements regarding troop deployments will come from the Department of War. As we have said, President Trump always has all military options at his disposal," Anna Kelly, deputy White House press secretary, was quoted as saying.

Trump said earlier on Thursday that he would pause planned strikes on Iranian energy facilities for 10 more days, until April 6 at 8 pm Eastern Time, claiming that talks between the two sides were "going very well."

Iran has publicly rejected a 15-point peace plan proposed by the White House but is privately considering meeting with unspecified US negotiators in Pakistan in the coming days, said a report from The New York Times.

The United States and Israel launched massive attacks on Iran on Feb 28, disrupting global shipping, driving up oil prices and shaking the global economy.