U.S. President Donald Trump has been presented with a broad array of potential military options against Iran should ongoing nuclear negotiations with that country fail.
Israel is already reportedly moving ever closer to at least being in a position to launch its own strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. The direct and indirect blowback from any such operations against Iran could be immense.
Fears that U.S.-Iranian nuclear talks are on the verge of collapse have been steadily growing in the past week or so amid statements from both sides outlining potentially intractable positions. Iran’s ability to continue domestic enrichment of nuclear material that could be used to produce nuclear weapons has emerged as a key stumbling block to reaching a deal.
“If the President directed [it], is CENTCOM [U.S. Central Command] prepared to respond with overwhelming force to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran?” Congressman Mike Rogers, an Alabama Republican, asked U.S. Army Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee today. Kurilla is currently head of CENTCOM, making him the top officer overseeing operations across the Middle East.
“I have provided the Secretary of Defense [Pete Hegseth] and the President [Trump] a wide range of options,” Kurilla said in response.
“I take that as a yes?” Rogers, the present chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, asked in return, appearing to refer to the specific wording of his question, to include the possible use of “overwhelming force.”
“Yes,” Kurrila said.
It is important to note here that U.S. presidents and defense secretaries regularly ask to be briefed on potential military options in light of crises or heightened risks of one erupting. Being presented with a full range of operational possibilities, including large-scale strikes or other significant direct action, does not mean the United States is automatically committed to pursuing any specific course of action, something we will come back to later on.
There have been reports for weeks already that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have been actively planning and otherwise preparing to launch strikes on Iran, and the country’s nuclear sites in particular. Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported yesterday that those plans continue to advance, while the country’s Channel 12 television station had said that more active preparations, including the prepositioning of munitions, may now be underway.
It is also worth noting that there have been persistent reports about possible Israeli strikes on Iran for some time, but that this actually came to pass on a more limited level last year. Authorities in Israel have also demonstrated a new willingness to launch overt attacks beyond the country’s borders, in general.
“Iran is acting much differently in negotiations than it did just days ago,” Trump said in an interview today with Fox News‘ Bret Baier. “Much more aggressive. It’s surprising to me. It’s disappointing...
Trump had told reporters that the next round of U.S.-Iranian nuclear talks was scheduled for Thursday during a question-and-answer session around an Invest America roundtable with multiple corporate CEOs at the White House yesterday. It is unclear whether or not this plan has changed.
“We have a meeting with Iran on Thursday. So we’re going to wait till Thursday,” Trump had said. “They’re just asking for things that you can’t do. They don’t want to give up what they have to give up. You know what that is. They seek enrichment. We can’t have enrichment. We want just the opposite.”
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