President Trump announced on March 26 that he was extending his deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by 10 days, pushing the threat of strikes on power plants to approximately April 6. He said talks were “going well” but offered no specifics.
The extension came a day after Iran rejected the U.S. 15-point ceasefire plan and issued its own demands. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the war would last “weeks not months” and that no U.S. ground troops would be needed.
Paratroopers and Marines Deploy
The military buildup continued. At least 1,000 troops from the 82nd Airborne Division were being sent to the region. The paratroopers are trained to jump into hostile or contested areas to secure airfields and key territory.
An additional 5,000 Marines trained in amphibious operations, along with thousands of sailors, were also heading to the Middle East. The deployments signaled that while diplomacy was being pursued, the Pentagon was preparing for the possibility of expanded operations.
Blasts in Beirut
Explosions were heard in the southern suburbs of Beirut as Israeli forces struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. The Lebanese front had become a persistent secondary theater of the war, with daily exchanges of rockets and airstrikes along the border and deeper into Lebanese territory.
Israel said it was carrying out new waves of airstrikes in Tehran, following strikes a day earlier that targeted an Iranian submarine development center in Isfahan.
Iran Nuclear Sites Under Pressure
Iran vowed retaliation after Israeli strikes hit nuclear-related facilities. The targeting of nuclear sites had been one of the stated objectives of the coalition campaign, though the full extent of damage to Iran’s nuclear program remained unclear.
Iranian state media reported that a residential building in Tehran was struck, causing casualties. Images showed significant damage to a multi-story apartment block.
Public Opinion Shifts
An AP-NORC poll found that most Americans believed the U.S. military action against Iran had gone too far. The survey indicated that while Trump’s overall approval rating was holding steady, the conflict was becoming a political liability.
Rising gasoline prices were a particular concern for respondents. Oil prices had remained above $100 per barrel for more than a week, driven by the disruption to Hormuz shipping and uncertainty about Iranian oil production.
By Day 27, more than 300 U.S. troops had been wounded in the conflict. The total number of Iranian civilians killed exceeded 1,500, with the real figure likely much higher given communications disruptions in several provinces.