Two US officials said that the country's military is preparing for the possibility of conducting weeks-long operations against Iran if President Donald Trump orders an attack. The information was revealed in the context that Washington and Tehran have just resumed diplomatic contact on Iran's nuclear program.
According to these officials, this plan is more complex than previous airstrikes. In a prolonged operation, the US may target Iranian state and security facilities, not limited to nuclear infrastructure. The Pentagon declined to comment on this content.
Last week, US and Iranian diplomats met in Oman to find ways to resume negotiations related to Tehran's nuclear program. The developments took place after Mr. Trump deployed more military forces to the region, raising concerns about the possibility of new military action.
US officials said the Pentagon is deploying another aircraft carrier to the Middle East, along with thousands of soldiers, fighter jets, guided-missile destroyers and many other assets capable of attacking and defending. Last year, the US deployed two aircraft carriers to the area when carrying out airstrikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities. The "Midnight Hammer" operation at that time was mainly a single attack by stealth bomber originating from US territory. Iran responded limitedly with an attack on a US base in Qatar.
An official said Washington anticipates the possibility that Iran will respond, leading to prolonged attacks and counter-attacks. Experts warn that the risk to US forces will be much higher in the event of an expanded operation, because Iran possesses a significant missile arsenal. The risk of conflict spreading in the region is also increasing.
Speaking to US soldiers at a base in North Carolina, Mr. Trump said that reaching an agreement with Iran is difficult. He warned that without a diplomatic solution, the remaining option would be "very painful". White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly affirmed that Mr. Trump is considering many options and will make decisions based on national security interests.
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps declared it would respond if its territory was attacked, targeting US military bases in the region, where Washington maintains a presence in Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. Iran said it is ready to discuss restricting its nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions, but does not accept linking this issue to missiles.
