The US could strike Iran as soon as this weekend if Trump decides on military intervention, top national security officials say.
By World Israel News Staff
The United States military has effectively completed the preparations needed to begin a sustained military campaign against Iran, with the US able to initiate an air campaign as soon as this weekend, CBS News reported on Wednesday.
Citing multiple sources familiar with President Donald Trump’s briefings by top national security officials, the report said that the US military could begin striking Iran as early as Saturday, following the large-scale deployment of air units to the Middle East this week.
President Trump has yet to make a final decision on the matter, the officials told CBS News, emphasizing that the discussions in the White House are ongoing.
Over the past two days, the US has deployed at least 125 additional aircraft to the region, including 12 F-22 and 19 F-35 stealth fighters, 48 F-16 fighter jets, 40 refueling aircraft, 6 E-3G Sentry AWACS, and at least one RC-135 strategic reconnaissance aircraft.
One nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, and its battle group are already in the Persian Gulf, with a second carrier battle group, centered around the USS Gerald R. Ford en route to the Mideast.
The Pentagon has ordered some personnel currently stationed in the Mideast to evacuate, multiple officials said, which the transfers expected to be wrapped up by Saturday. The personnel are being redeployed to Europe and the United States as part of what sources said was a standard pre-operation practice that does not necessarily signal an imminent attack.
The US and Iran held a second round of talks in Geneva on Tuesday, with both sides reporting progress, though Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that it appears Iran is still refusing to acknowledge America’s red lines in talks.
On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “There are many reasons and arguments that one could make for a strike against Iran,” while adding that for Trump, “diplomacy is always his first option.”
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