Trump Claims Iran War 'Winding Down' While Deploying 2,500 More Marines

On March 21, 2026, President Trump sent contradictory signals on the Iran war in its fourth week: publicly claiming the US was considering 'winding down' military efforts (citing 92% of Iran's naval vessels eliminated and a 90%+ drop in Iranian missile launches), while simultaneously announcing the deployment of approximately 2,500 additional Marines and three more warships to the region — the second such deployment announcement that week, bringing total US forces to roughly 50,000. Trump also stated the US 'does not need' to guard the Strait of Hormuz before walking that comment back. US markets fell 1.5% on the contradictory messaging. The Pentagon separately requested an additional $200 billion from Congress for war operations. On the diplomatic front, Steve Witkoff confirmed at a Cabinet meeting that the US had been negotiating with Iran through Pakistan as an intermediary, though Iran's ambassador to Pakistan denied any negotiations had taken place.