US weighs strikes on Iran: Options range from nuclear sites to top leadership
US President Donald Trump (photo: Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump is considering the possibility of launching a new large-scale strike against Iran. The reason is that negotiations on limiting Iran's nuclear program and the production of ballistic missiles have reached a deadlock, CNN reports.
Trump urged Iran to conclude "a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS," while warning that the next US strike "will be far worse" than last year's attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities.
The US president has not yet made a final decision on military action, but according to sources, the options include the following:
- Targeted strikes against Iran's leadership;
- Targeted strikes against Iran's security forces;
- Targeted attacks on nuclear infrastructure that could be involved in the production of nuclear weapons.
US military capabilities in the region are being strengthened: the aircraft carrier strike group led by the Abraham Lincoln is moving closer to Iran, and the Pentagon is deploying additional Patriot air defense systems and preparing the deployment of THAAD systems. Large-scale US Air Force exercises in the Middle East are also planned.
Despite some contacts through intermediaries, full-fledged negotiations between the United States and Iran have effectively reached a deadlock. Washington is demanding a complete halt to uranium enrichment, limits on the missile program, and Iran's withdrawal of support for its proxy groups in the region. At the same time, Tehran agrees to discuss only the nuclear issue.
Iran responded sharply to the US threats. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that Iranian armed forces are ready to respond "immediately and powerfully" to any aggression. Supreme Leader adviser Ali Shamkhani warned that a US strike would mean the start of a war, threatening, in particular, an attack on Israel.
Trump recently said that Iran allegedly seeks to conclude a new deal. This came amid the arrival of a US aircraft carrier group in the region and discussions in the White House about possible military strikes. At the same time, he threatened Iran with new large-scale attacks.
