Why this photo should be at the front of Trump's mind as president prepares to deploy 10,000 US soldiers to the Middle East
It is often said that history repeats itself.
The popular maxim is one that President Trump would be wise to keep in mind as the US builds up troops near Iran and the possibility of putting boots on the ground in the country grows.
The US military is preparing to deploy at least 10,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, adding to the thousands of Marines aboard Navy ships already on their way to the region, three anonymous sources close to the Pentagon told the AP on Tuesday.
America is no stranger to intervention in the Middle East and the deployment of those forces is reminiscent of the invasion of Iraq in 2003, which involved more than 150,000 coalition troops.
At the time, the US was engaged in Operation Iraqi Freedom, which began on March 20, 2003, with the goal of deposing Iraq's dictator, Saddam Hussein.
Although that goal was swiftly achieved in fewer than three weeks, with Hussein losing power following the capture of Iraq's capital city of Baghdad on April 9, the US military faced an unexpected enemy - the region's severe weather.
Almost exactly 23 years ago, on March 25, 2003, a powerful sandstorm completely halted the movement of US troops and military equipment making their way towards Baghdad.
Dramatic photos of that day show immobilized tanks and soldiers amidst an eerie orange glow.
Almost exactly 23 years ago, American soldiers invading Iraq were completely immobilized by a severe sandstorm. A stalled tank and soldiers during the storm are pictured
The sand and grit which got into everything jammed weapons and equipment, rendering them useless. A soldier is pictured bracing himself in the blowing sand
The storm's conditions dramatically reduced visibility and it was deemed impossible for troops to move forward towards Baghdad. The silhouette of a barely visible soldier is pictured
As the current conflict in Iran intensifies, the US is preparing to deploy around 1,000 soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division. Some soldiers from that division are pictured
The billowing sand and dust reduced visibility to just a few dozen meters and jammed weapons and equipment. Tanks, small arms and rifles were rendered useless until they could be cleaned out.
There were even reports from soldiers that the switchblades in their pockets couldn't open due to the grit that got into everything.
The sandstorm was accompanied by rain, and as the drops fell, they combined with the sand in the air and became muddy.
The combined result of low visibility, jammed equipment and unstable terrain made it impossible for troops to move forward despite several attempts to do so during lulls in the storm.
Ultimately, the US military switched tactics and used its air superiority to fly over the sandstorm and bomb Iraqi troops that were similarly immobilized.
The three-day sandstorm was thus converted from an impediment to a tactical advantage, but it still revealed the limitations of ground troops in some situations of contemporary warfare.
According to a 2023 study published in the peer-reviewed journal Sustainability, dust storms in Iran occur most frequently in the months of May, June and July and are primarily situated along the country's eastern and western borders.
The storms on the western coast include areas along the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping artery through which about a fifth of the world's oil supply passes and which Iran has effectively closed since the start of the war.
The 82nd Airborne Division soldiers will bolster a force of thousands of marines already on their way to the Middle East aboard Navy ships. The Navy ship USS Boxer is pictured
Deploying ground troops in Iran would be necessary to accomplish certain strategic objectives. Soldiers with the 82nd Airborne Division are pictured parachuting
That could pose a problem for ground troops deployed to that part of the country in an effort to reopen the strait.
Nearly one month into the war with Iran, the US and Israel have been engaged in a relentless bombing campaign against the country.
US Central Command said on Tuesday that plane and missile strikes have 'destroyed more than 9,000 military targets' since the war began on February 28.
The current conflict has thus been a kind of inversion of the one in Iraq in 2003, as the US has only recently begun preparing for a ground invasion.
American and Israeli planes and missiles are effectively untouchable for Iran, but they have revealed their limits when it comes to securing strategically valuable sites and accomplishing certain military goals.
Certain concrete objectives, such as reopening the Strait of Hormuz, capturing Iran's enriched uranium or seizing oil facilities, would have to be accomplished before Trump would feel comfortable declaring victory and an end to the war.
At least 13 US military personnel have died in the Iran conflict so far and that number would be poised to rise dramatically if soldiers are deployed on the ground. Marines are pictured during a training exercise aboard the USS New Orleans
All of those goals would require a presence on the ground, which Trump's administration has been reluctant to greenlight, given the risks of higher fatalities which could further diminish the already low popularity of the conflict.
America has insisted it can 'achieve its objectives' in Iran without boots on the ground and will wrap up the war in 'weeks not months.'
On Friday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted that the operation was 'ahead of schedule'.
But despite reportedly telling world leaders the timeline for completion is two to four weeks, officials revealed on Friday that Washington is still mulling over a possible invasion.
Around 10,000 extra troops are heading for the region in the next ten days supported by fighter jet squadrons and armored vehicles.
This is in addition to 5,000 Marines and 2,000 paratroopers that were ordered to the Gulf earlier in the week.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Friday: 'I have reasons to believe, also based on information we have received from our allies, that stabilization is unlikely in the coming days. On the contrary, a new escalation may occur.'
Rubio also insisted that Washington has been 'as clear as you can possibly be' on its objectives 'from the very first night'.
He listed them as destruction of the Iranian navy and air force and the aim to 'significantly destroy their missile launchers so they can never hide behind these things to get a nuclear weapon'.
However, that appeared to be a dramatic walk-back from Donald Trump's 15-point peace plan presented earlier this week.
Adding to the confusion, there was consternation among Republicans after a closed-door classified briefing on Wednesday over the war's objectives.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio (pictured on March 27, 2026) claimed on Friday the operation against Iran was 'ahead of schedule'
A damaged residential building in southern Tehran on Friday after continued strikes by the US and Israel on March 27, 2026
Pushed on the reports after a G7 meeting in France, Mr Rubio told reporters: 'This is not going to be a prolonged conflict .
'We can achieve all of our objectives without ground troops, but we are always going to be prepared to give President [Trump] maximum optionality and maximum opportunity to adjust to contingencies that emerge.'
Thirteen US military personnel have been killed in the conflict so far and that number would be poised to rise dramatically if soldiers set foot in the country. More than 300 US troops have been wounded, ten with serious injuries.
Around a dozen US soldiers were wounded and multiple planes damaged following an Iranian missile strike at a base in Saudi Arabia on Friday.
The service members were on Prince Sultan Air Base when it was struck by at least one missile and several unmanned aerial vehicles.
Two service members are 'very seriously injured' while eight others are 'seriously injured' both a separate category under the military's classification system, according to CBS News. The condition of others is unknown.
At least two KC-135 refueling planes suffered 'significant damage' in the combined missile and drone attack, according to the New York Times.
US and Arab officials said the injured soldiers were inside an installation building on the base (pictured), which was hit by at least one missile and several unmanned aerial vehicles
'Several' American servicemembers were injured in a Friday attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, according to AP, though the Wall Street Journal put the number at ten
President Donald Trump, speaking at a Miami event backed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, declared today that the war is coming to a close very soon
Satellite photos appeared to reveal the full extent of damage to the aircraft.
Friday's strike represents one of the most serious breaches of US air defenses since the monthlong war with Iran began, as well as at least the second hit on Prince Sultan Air Base.
An earlier March 1 strike on the base damaged five US refueling aircraft and claimed the life of 26-year-old Army Sgt Benjamin N Pennington just days after he was wounded.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday determined that just 35 percent of Americans support the strikes against Iran, which was down two percent from just a week prior.
President Donald Trump, speaking at a Miami event backed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, declared on Friday that the war is coming to a close very soon, according to the WSJ.
'It's sort of finished, but it's not finished,' he said. 'It's got to be finished.'
He also said that he expected the war to deliver an even bigger and more destructive blow to the stock markets.
'I thought we were going to go down more,' he said. 'And I thought oil prices were going to go up higher.'
But the S&P 500 sank for a fifth consecutive week to its lowest point since last August, with US gasoline prices climbing toward $4 a gallon.
Trump also lashed out at NATO allies for their reluctance to provide military support, saying it has made him 'rethink' how much the US spends on the alliance.
