The US military is prepared to attack Iran this weekend, although President Donald Trump has not yet made a final decision on whether he will authorize such actions, and . The White House has been informed that the military could be ready for an attack this weekend, following a significant increase in air and naval assets in the Middle East in recent days, CNN says, citing sources familiar with the matter.
However, one source warned that Trump has privately argued both for and against military action and has consulted advisers and allies on the best course of action. Senior administration national security officials met at the White House on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Iran, according to a person familiar with the meeting.
Trump was also briefed Wednesday by special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, about his indirect talks with Iran held the previous day. At that time, it was not clear whether the US president would make a decision before the weekend, the network says. “He’s spending a lot of time thinking about this,” a source said.
According to The New York Timesthe Israeli military has also increased its preparations for a possible war, and Israel’s security cabinet plans to meet on Sunday, two Israeli defense sources told the newspaper. Israel is also preparing for a possible joint attack with the United States, according to The New York Timeswhich cites two Israeli Defense sources.
Israel’s security cabinet plans to meet on Sunday, according to the sources, who describe the possible operation in Iran as a multi-day attack aimed at forcing the country to make more concessions on its nuclear program in negotiations.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, which was part of the Caribbean fleet during the operation against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, to join the USS Abraham Lincoln, already stationed in Middle Eastern waters, according to the Times.
The US military reinforcement also includes dozens of refueling tankers, more than 50 additional fighter jets and two aircraft carrier strike groups, along with their destroyers, cruisers and submarines, US officials told the newspaper.
citing several officials as sources, that Trump is evaluating possible attacks against Iran in the coming days. The Pentagon has begun to temporarily transfer part of its personnel out of the Middle East region, mainly to Europe and the United States, as a preventive measure against possible Iranian actions or counterattacks, CBS says.
Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated at a press conference this Wednesday that there are “many reasons and arguments for an attack against Iran,” although she assured that diplomacy remains the president’s first option. The spokesperson declined to comment on whether an eventual attack would be coordinated with Israel, a country with which the Administration maintains close security consultations.
