The U.S. military buildup in the region began in earnest after American and Israeli airstrikes hit Iran on Feb. 28, opening the fifth week of what officials in Washington and Tehran are now openly calling a war. More than 50,000 American troops are now positioned across the Middle East, up roughly 10,000 in recent days, with Marines, Army infantry, and 82nd Airborne Division units added to a force that was already substantial before the first bomb fell.

Multiple outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post and Reuters, have confirmed the deployments. What none of them report is troops on Iranian soil.

The Washington Post reported on March 28 that Pentagon planners are preparing for weeks of limited ground operations inside Iran — raids by Special Operations forces and infantry targeting sites near Kharg Island, which handles roughly 90% of Iran’s oil exports, and coastal positions near the Strait of Hormuz. These remain contingency plans. No order has been issued and no approval granted.

Reuters disclosed on March 24 that the U.S. was expected to send thousands more soldiers to the region. Axios further detailed on March 27 that the White House and Pentagon were weighing at least 10,000 additional combat troops. The Wall Street Journal and Iran International explained that the total deployed force could exceed 17,000 ground troops once those additions are approved.

CNN reported that more than 1,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne were preparing to deploy as of March 24. Fox News told the public on March 29 that 3,500 Marines aboard the USS Tripoli had arrived in the region for possible ground operations.

President Trump has not ruled out a ground component but has not ordered one. Administration officials say they prefer to avoid a ground invasion if possible. Iran’s parliament speaker issued a public warning that Iranian forces were “waiting for the arrival of American troops on the ground to set them on fire.” Diplomatic back-channel talks are ongoing through Pakistan as a third-party intermediary.

At the same time, Iran‘s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf extended warnings beyond the battlefield this week, telling X followers that headline-driven market moves around the conflict are frequently engineered rather than organic.

Ghalibaf described pre-market “news” as deliberate setups designed to let certain players take profit before a reversal, calling the initial price reaction a reverse indicator — if positive headlines spike prices, short it; if negative headlines dump prices, go long. “See something tomorrow? You know the drill,” he wrote, urging traders to position against the early move.

The remarks reflect Iran’s broader accusation that U.S.-linked announcements around the war have repeatedly triggered artificial or insider-based swings in oil and equity markets that give specific players an advantage, a pattern Tehran has raised before and Washington has denied.

Prediction markets are pricing in a high probability that U.S. forces will eventually enter Iran, though not yet. On Polymarket, the largest prediction market by volume, the “US forces enter Iran by?” contract has drawn $49.6 million in total trading volume. The market gives a 13% probability of entry by March 31, 71% by April 30, and 78% by Dec. 31, 2026.

Polymarket bet as of 5 p.m. Eastern time on March 29, 2026.

The March 31 contract has generated $34.5 million of that volume alone, suggesting heavy short-term speculation. Comments on the platform show traders watching for Special Operations activity, though sharp price movements have also been attributed to large single trades from individual accounts.

Iran-related prediction markets have drawn scrutiny in the past few weeks over possible insider activity tied to the timing of earlier airstrikes, though no formal findings have been published.

The conflict entered its fifth week with airpower doing the bulk of the work. The pattern, air and naval strikes first, ground options held in reserve, mirrors the early stages of previous U.S. military campaigns in the region. Whether it ends there depends on how the next phase of negotiations develops and whether either side is willing to accept the terms on the table.

The situation remains fluid. Any confirmed entry of U.S. forces into Iranian territory would constitute a major escalation and would generate immediate global reporting. As of March 29, that has not happened.

• Have US troops entered Iran? No credible reports confirm that any US military personnel have entered Iranian territory as of March 29, 2026.
• How many US troops are in the Middle East right now? More than 50,000 American troops are now positioned across the Middle East, with additional deployments underway.
• What is the US military planning for Iran? Pentagon planners are drawing up contingency options for limited ground raids targeting Kharg Island and Strait of Hormuz coastal sites, but no order has been approved.
• What do prediction markets say about the Iran war? Polymarket’s “US forces enter Iran by?” contract gives 72% odds of entry by April 30 and 77% by Dec. 31, 2026, based on $49.6 million in total trading volume.

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