Senior US officials are preparing for the possibility of a strike on Iran in coming days, according to people familiar with the matter, as Israel and the Islamic Republic continue to exchange fire.
Some of them pointed to potential plans for a weekend strike. Top leaders at a handful of federal agencies have begun getting ready for an attack, one person said.
A missile from Iran on Thursday struck an Israeli hospital for the first time since the war started almost a week ago, a reminder of the risks to civilians in both countries. Israel’s Health Ministry said there were a number of light injuries in the incident at Soroka Medical Center in the south of the country.
Israel will exact “the full price” from Iranian administration for the strike, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
US President Donald Trump has for days publicly mused about joining Israel’s strikes on Iran, a move that would escalate the conflict in the oil-rich Middle East. The situation is evolving and could change, said the people, who requested anonymity to discuss private talks.
Israel said it would escalate attacks on Iranian strategic and government targets, “in order to remove threats to the State of Israel and undermine the Iranian regime,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
“Khamenei will be held accountable,” he added, directly naming the Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The comments indicate a widening of Israel’s war objective beyond the destruction of Iran’s nuclear program, and the country’s campaign showed no signs of letting up. Jets struck dozens of military targets in Iran overnight, including an inactive nuclear reactor in the area of Arak.
Arak has long been the focus of international scrutiny due to its potential role in plutonium production, which could potentially be used in future nuclear-weapon production if reprocessing capabilities were developed. The Arak-Khondab region area, situated in central Iran, is itself strategically significant as it is home to some of the country’s most critical atomic infrastructure.
Efforts to contain the escalation of the conflict continue, while the US weighs its options. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the United Arab Emirates’ president, said on X the war between Iran and Israel marks “a pivotal moment with far-reaching consequences for both nations and the region.” He called for an end to hostilities and return to dialog.
Trump told reporters at the White House Wednesday he has “ideas as to what to do” and that he prefers to make the “final decision one second before it’s due” because the situation in the Middle East is fluid.
A few hours earlier Trump had said, “I may do it. I may not do it,” when asked if he was moving closer to attacking Iran.
A White House official said that all options remain on the table.
The president’s openness to war is a reversal from his public remarks a week ago when Trump was urging diplomatic talks to reach a nuclear disarmament deal with Iran.
Waiting a few days to strike gives Iranian leaders additional runway to demonstrate to Trump they are willing to give up some uranium enrichment capabilities to deter a US attack.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post earlier Wednesday that his country remained “committed to diplomacy” and has never sought and would never seek nuclear weapons.
Foreign ministers from the UK, France, and Germany are planning to hold nuclear talks with their Iranian counterpart on Friday in Geneva, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Trump’s rhetoric has shifted significantly in recent days as allies have impressed upon him that Iran is close to obtaining a nuclear weapon. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has been a central voice urging the president to consider military action, according to people familiar with the discussions. Trump has had multiple calls with Graham, the people said.
“He gave them a chance for diplomacy. I think they made a miscalculation,” Graham said of Iran on Wednesday. “The sooner we end this threat to mankind, the better.”
Foreign Wars
Trump for years has called for the US to stay out of foreign conflicts and campaigned on a message that he would prevent another World War and focus on domestic issues.
Trump said he encouraged Netanyahu to “keep going” with his offensive operations, adding that he gave the Israeli premier no indication that US forces would participate in the attacks.
Since Israel’s strikes started, Iran has fired 400 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones at Israel, killing 24 people and injuring more than 800, according to the Israeli government. At least 224 Iranians have been killed by Israel’s attacks.
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/us-officials-prepare-possible-strike-032359828.html
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