The Pentagon is expected to send thousands of soldiers from ​the army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division to the ‌Middle East, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday, adding to the massive military buildup even as the ​Trump administration seeks talks with Iran.

The officials, ​speaking on the condition of anonymity, did not ⁠specify where in the Middle East the troops would ​go and when they would arrive in the region.

​The soldiers are stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

The US military referred questions to the White House, which did not immediately ​respond to a request for comment.

No decision had been ​made to send troops into Iran itself, one of the sources ‌told ⁠Reuters, but they will build up capacity for potential future operations in the region.

The soldiers’ deployment would be in addition to the deployment last week of thousands ​of marines ​and sailors aboard ⁠the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, along with its Marine Expeditionary Unit ​and accompanying warships.

The expected deployments come just ​a day ⁠after President Donald Trump postponed threats to bomb Iranian power plants, saying there had been “productive” talks with Iran.

But ⁠after ​Trump’s Truth Social comment on Monday, ​Iran denied that any talks had been held.