US military ready for possible Iran strikes but Trump yet to make decision, reports say | US foreign policy
The US military is reportedly preparing for a possible attack on Iran this weekend, multiple news outlets reported Wednesday, citing unnamed sources.
However, according to reports, it is stated that Donald Trump has not yet made a final decision on whether to carry out an attack. Trump has repeatedly demanded that Iran halt its nuclear program and warned that he will use force if a deal is not reached.
according to New York Times, CBS News And CNNThe US military has amassed sufficient air and naval resources in the Middle East to launch an offensive in the coming days.
Citing an unnamed senior US official, Reuters offered a slightly different timeline, reporting that top US national security advisers were told at a meeting in the White House Situation Room on Wednesday that all US military forces deployed to the region should be ready by mid-March.
CBS also noted The timeline for the strike would likely extend beyond this weekend.
Iran is expected to submit a written proposal on how to resolve its dispute with the United States following talks in Geneva on Tuesday, the official told Reuters.
At Wednesday’s press conference, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not answer a question about the exact amount of time Trump would give Iran to reach an agreement before taking military action.
“It would be very wise for Iran to make a deal with President Trump,” he said, adding that the Trump administration “completely destroyed Iran’s nuclear facilities” but that “diplomacy” is always the president’s “first option.”
He also noted that although “some progress” had been made following talks in Geneva on Tuesday, “we are still a long way off on some issues”.
“He’s spending a lot of time thinking about this,” a source told CNN about Trump.
According to Axios reporter Barak Ravid, Trump i met There were two advisers leading indirect talks with Iran on Wednesday: Steve Witkoff, a real estate developer and envoy, and Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law.
on Israeli television, Ravid reported He said US sources told him that talks with Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi in Geneva amounted to “nothing” and that the Pentagon was preparing for a joint Israeli-US attack that could last weeks. According to Ravid’s sources, Iran only has until the end of February to compromise on its nuclear program.
USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier group Its fleet of warships is already in the area and a second carrier group, CBS News reported USS Gerald FordHe’s heading to the Middle East.
As of Wednesday, the Ford was off the coast of West Africa, according to vessel tracking data and open source researchers.
On Tuesday, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei posted an AI-generated image of Ford at the maritime cemetery on social media, with the caption: “More dangerous than this warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea.”
Dozens of refueling tankers and more than 50 additional fighter jets are also in the area, according to the New York Times. reports. At the same time, the Pentagon is removing some of its personnel from the Middle East to prevent possible counter-attacks in the event of a US attack, CBS reported, citing multiple officials.
According to the New York Times, based on two defense officials, preparations are continuing in Israel for the possibility of participating in joint attacks with the USA.
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview broadcast on Saudi Arabia’s Al-Arabiya television on Wednesday that “the consequences” of any new US attack on Iran are “not good”.
Lavrov said, “Nobody wants tensions to escalate. Everyone understands that this is playing with fire,” and called on the United States to refrain from hitting Iran and allow the country to pursue a peaceful nuclear program.
In June, the US struck key nuclear enrichment sites in Iran, and Israeli warplanes hit “dozens” of targets across the country, including a long-range missile site in Yazd.
