U.S. President Donald Trump announced a delay until April 6 of the deadline for Iran to fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz or risk U.S. attacks against power plants after claiming that U.S.-Iran discussions were going "very well," AP reported on March 26. Then, on March 27, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps called for the evacuation of U.S. and Israeli-linked industrial facilities in the region.

After Trump's delay, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned that Israeli attacks against Iran will "escalate and expand" after previously warning Iran to stop targeting civilian populations. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is reportedly considering deploying up to 10,000 more ground forces to the Middle East, with a final decision likely to be made the week of March 30, to provide additional options for a potential ground invasion. These additional deployments would likely include armored vehicles and infantry.