ISTANBUL

Open-source flight-tracking data on Monday pointed to the possible mobilization of US paratroopers from the US East Coast towards the Middle East and specifically Iran.

While precisely who is on the flights is unknown, six flights coming from Fort Bragg, a military base in the state of North Carolina some 280 miles (450 kilometers) south of Washington, DC, indicate that elements of the 82nd Airborne Division Immediate Response Force could have been mobilized.

The Immediate Response Force is made up of 3,000 paratroopers capable of deploying anywhere in the world within 18 hours. According to a New York Times report, these forces could be used to seize Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export hub located in the Persian Gulf.

Defense officials told the Times said that elements of the 82nd Airborne had been considered in planning but that nothing had been ordered by the Pentagon or US Central Command (CENTCOM).

At least 35 C-17 military transports have moved from US bases towards the Middle East since March 12, following the start of the Iran war on Feb. 28, with 11 more currently on the way.

Flight tracking data shows three primary destinations so far: 17 aircraft to Ovda Air Base in Israel and 13 to King Faisal Air Base and four to King Hussein International Airport, both in Jordan.

The developments follow an early March decision by the US Army to abruptly cancel a major training exercise involving the 82nd Airborne Division’s headquarters element, citing the need to maintain heightened combat readiness.