U.S. Military Preparing For Potentially Weeks-Long Iran Operations: Reuters Report
WASHINGTON, February 14 (Reuters) – United States military like that getting ready for the possibilityWeWeeks of operations against Iran could become much more serious if President Donald Trump orders an attack, two US officials told Reuters.We conflict than beforeWeseen across countries.
These statements of the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the plan, increase the risks for the diplomacy between the USA and Iran.
US ambassadors Steve Witkoff and Jared KWemore Negotiations with Iran will be held in Geneva on TuesdayRepresentatives from Oman are mediating. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Saturday that Trump’s preference was to reach a deal with Tehran, but “that is very difficult to do.”
Meanwhile, Trump gathered military Powers in the region raise new fears military action. US officials at the Pentagon on Friday send an additional aircraft carrier Adding the Middle EastWeand more troops, as well as fighter jets, guided missile destroyers, and other firepower that can carry out attacks and defend against them.
Embers, I’m talking Sometime later on Friday military At the event at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the possibility of a change of government in Iran was openly voiced, saying it “seemed like the best thing that could happen.” He declined to share who he wants to take over Iran but said “there are people.”
“They’ve been talking, talking, talking for 47 years,” Trump said.
Trump has long expressed doubts about sending ground troops to Iran last year: “The last thing you want to do is ground forces.” and the types of US firepower arrayed in the Middle East so far suggest options for attacks primarily by air and naval forces. Trump also showed a willingness to rely on special operations forces to capture the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, in a raid in Venezuela last month.
Comments were requested on the preparations potentially S.Wedetained the USA military operation, White HoWeSpokesperson Anna Kelly said: “President Trump is keeping all options on the table on Iran.”
“He listens to a variety of perspectives on any issue but makes the final decision based on what is best for our country and our national security,” Kelly said.
The Pentagon declined to comment.
When the USA attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities last year, it sent two aircraft carriers to the region.
But, June’s “Midnight Tow Truck” operation It was essentially a one-off US strike with stealth bombers flying from the US to hit Iran’s nuclear facilities. Iran launched a very limited retaliatory attack on the US base in Qatar.
The risks are increasing
Planning this time was more complex, officials said.
aspectWepreserved campaign, USA military not j, Iran can hit state and security facilitiesWeOne of the officials said there was no nuclear infrastructure. The official declined to provide specific details.
Experts say the risks to US forces in such an operation against Iran, which has a formidable missile arsenal, would be much greater. Iran’s retaliatory attacks also increase the risk of regional conflict.
The same official said the United States fully expects Iran to retaliate, which will lead to back-and-forth attacks and retaliation over time.
White HoWee and the Pentagon did not respond to questions about the risks of retaliation or regional conflict.
Trump has repeatedly threatened to bomb Iran over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs and CR.Wehinge internal opposition. He warned on Thursday that the alternative to a diplomatic solution would be “very traumatic, very traumatic.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard warns of possible retaliation against any US attack on Iranian territory military basis.
The United States has bases in the Middle East, including Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Türkiye.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu He met with Trump for talks If a deal is reached with Iran in Washington on Wednesday, “itWe“It does not contain elements that are vital for Israel.”
Iran says it is ready to disqualifyWeAlthough it imposed restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions, it rejected the possibility that the problem could be linked to missiles.
On Saturday, Iranian opposition figure Reza Pahlavi was arrested by the US military He said intervening in Iran could save lives and called on Washington not to negotiate too much with Tehran’s clerical rulers over the nuclear deal.
The exiled son of Iran’s ousted Shah told Reuters in an interview that there were signs that the Iranian government was on the verge of collapse and that an attack could weaken it or hasten its decline.
“We hope that this attack will accelerate the process and that people can finally return to the streets and lead to the eventual collapse of the regime,” said Pahlavi, who lives in the United States and has lived outside Iran since his father was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Don Durfee, Rosalba O’Brien, Rod Nickel)
