By Eric Vandenbroeck and co-workers

U.S. officials Are Preparing for the Possibility of a Strike on Iran

Senior US officials are preparing for the possibility of a strike on Iran in the coming days, according to people familiar with the matter, a sign that Washington is assembling the infrastructure to directly enter a conflict with Tehran.

The situation is still evolving and could change, said the people, who requested anonymity to discuss private talks. Some of the people pointed to potential plans for a weekend strike. Top leaders at a handful of federal agencies have also begun getting ready for an attack, one person said.

US President Donald Trump has for days publicly mused about calling for such a strike on Iran, which has been engaged in a war with Israel for nearly a week.

Trump told reporters at the White House on June 18 he has “ideas as to what to do” and that he prefers to make the “final decision one second before it’s due” because the situation in the Middle East is fluid.

A few hours earlier, he said, “I may do it. I may not do it”, when asked if he was moving closer to attacking Iran.

A White House official said that all options remain on the table.

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The President’s openness to war is a reversal from his public remarks a week ago when he was urging for diplomatic talks to reach a nuclear disarmament deal with Iran.

Waiting a few days to strike gives Iranian leaders additional runway to demonstrate to Trump that they are willing to give up some uranium enrichment capabilities to deter a US attack.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post earlier on June 18 that his country remained “committed to diplomacy” and had never sought and would never seek nuclear weapons.

The President’s openness to war is a reversal from his public remarks a week ago when he was urging for diplomatic talks to reach a nuclear disarmament deal with Iran.

Waiting a few days to strike gives Iranian leaders additional runway to demonstrate to Trump that they are willing to give up some uranium enrichment capabilities to deter a US attack.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post earlier on June 18 that his country remained “committed to diplomacy” and had never sought and would never seek nuclear weapons.

 

Foreign wars

For years, Trump has called for the US to stay out of foreign conflicts and campaigned on a message that he would prevent another World War and focus on domestic issues.

He said he encouraged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a call on June 17 to “keep going” with his offensive operations, adding that he gave Netanyahu no indication that US forces would participate in the attacks. 

Since Israel’s strikes started, Iran has fired 400 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel, killing 24 people and injuring more than 800, according to the Israeli government. At least 224 Iranians have been killed by Israel’s attacks.

 

 

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