Thousands more American troops stationed in Middle East this Memorial Day as peace with Iran looms on the horizon

This Memorial Day, thousands more U.S. servicemen and -women than usual are stationed in the Middle East due to the ongoing tensions with Iran, even as recent developments suggest a peace agreement may be near.

In late March, the New York Times reported that 50,000 U.S. troops were in the Middle East, an increase of about 10,000 from the 40,000 troops who are typically in the region. Many of those troops were stationed “at sea,” the outlet noted.

At the time, an additional 2,500 Marines, 2,500 sailors, and 2,000 Army soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division had just arrived. While the exact location of the Army paratroopers was not made public, they would be “within striking distance of Iran,” the Times reported.

It seems that little has changed in the weeks since. The Times reported on May 6 that the 50,000-strong U.S. forces remain “on standby in the region” as the delicate ceasefire with Iran hangs in the balance.

As recently as May 11, Trump said the ceasefire is on “life support” after Iranian officials sent a proposal that Trump called a “piece of garbage.”

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U.S. Navy/Getty Images

When reached for comment, the War Department referred Blaze News to U.S. Central Command. A source familiar with the matter told Blaze News that for safety reasons, CENTCOM does not comment on troop movements or schedules.

The four-to-six-week timetable President Donald Trump initially gave for the attacks on Iran has long since expired, but the president does not seem as focused on the protracted process as he is on the results.

And his patience may be paying off.

Over Memorial Day weekend, news of a possible peace deal began spreading online. While Trump has not divulged many details, he wrote on Sunday that “negotiations are proceeding in an orderly and constructive manner” and that America’s “relationship with Iran is becoming a much more professional and productive one.”

Trump even teased that should a deal be reached, Iran may someday join the “Nations of the historic Abraham Accords.” Still, he cautioned that the U.S. would not “rush into a deal in that time is on our side.”

Above all, Trump pledged that Iran will never have nuclear weapons and that any agreement he reaches with Iranian officials will be “THE EXACT OPPOSITE” of the “pallets of cash” deal former President Barack Obama made in 2016, quipping, “Unlike those before me who should have solved this problem many years ago, I don’t make bad deals!”

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