The Pentagon is considering a plan to deploy as many as 10,000 additional ground troops to the Middle East, according to a report Thursday night, as President Donald Trump evaluates both military options and ongoing diplomatic efforts with Iran.

Citing Defense Department officials familiar with the discussions, The Wall Street Journal reported that the potential deployment would expand the range of choices available to Trump amid continued tensions with Tehran.

If approved, the additional forces—expected to include infantry units and armored vehicles—would join roughly 5,000 Marines already in the region, along with thousands of paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division who have been deployed as part of Operation Epic Fury targeting Iran.

The developments come shortly after Trump announced a temporary halt to planned strikes on Iran’s energy facilities, extending the pause by 10 days while negotiations proceed and setting a new deadline of April 6.

“As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social.

In a Fox News interview later that day, Trump said Iranian officials had sought additional time through intermediaries before any escalation, and that he agreed to lengthen the window from seven days to 10.

“They asked for seven, and I gave them 10,” he said, adding that talks were ongoing and “going fairly well.”

The president cautioned that failure by Iran to meet U.S. demands could lead to further strikes, including against critical infrastructure such as power plants.

He also said in the interview that American forces had already dealt a significant blow to Iran’s military capabilities, including its missile systems.

Earlier Thursday, during a cabinet meeting, Trump highlighted what he described as the effectiveness of Operation Epic Fury.

“Over the past three weeks, we’ve been hitting Iran’s military capabilities at a level that few people have ever seen before. It’s a display of force and precision and skill like nothing the world has really witnessed.”

“We’re crushing their missile and drone stockpiles, destroying their defense industrial base, we’ve wiped out their navy completely, their air force completely. We’ve wiped out a large percentage of their missiles and missile launchers. Without the launchers, the missiles don’t do any good. We’ve wiped out probably close to 90 percent of the launchers [and] probably, more than 90 percent of the missiles themselves,” he added. “We’ve also destroyed a lot of the factories where they manufactured the drones and the missiles.”

Trump also asserted that Iran is eager to reach an agreement, suggesting its leadership is under increasing pressure.

Iran is “begging to make a deal, not me. They’re begging to make a deal. And anyone who saw what was happening over there would understand why they want to make a deal.”