US Troops in Region Top 50,000 as Polymarket Gives 71% Odds Forces Enter Iran by April 30

The Pentagon is moving tens of thousands of troops into the Middle East and drawing up contingency plans for limited ground raids inside Iran, but no U.S. forces have entered Iranian territory as of March 29, 2026, at 5 p.m. Eastern time.

Multiple outlets, including the New York Times, Washington Post and Reuters, have confirmed the deployments. What none of them report is troops on Iranian soil.

Ghalibaf described pre-market “news” as deliberate setups designed to let certain players take profit before a reversal, calling the initial price reaction a reverse indicator — if positive headlines spike prices, short it; if negative headlines dump prices, go long. “See something tomorrow? You know the drill,” he wrote, urging traders to position against the early move.

The remarks reflect Iran’s broader accusation that U.S.-linked announcements around the war have repeatedly triggered artificial or insider-based swings in oil and equity markets that give specific players an advantage, a pattern Tehran has raised before and Washington has denied.

The conflict entered its fifth week with airpower doing the bulk of the work. The pattern, air and naval strikes first, ground options held in reserve, mirrors the early stages of previous U.S. military campaigns in the region. Whether it ends there depends on how the next phase of negotiations develops and whether either side is willing to accept the terms on the table.

The situation remains fluid. Any confirmed entry of U.S. forces into Iranian territory would constitute a major escalation and would generate immediate global reporting. As of March 29, that has not happened.