3 months ago
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The U.S. Military is preparing for the anticipation of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if President Donald Trump orders an attack, 2 U.S. officials told Reuters, successful what could go a acold much superior struggle than antecedently seen betwixt the countries.
The disclosure by the officials, who spoke connected information of anonymity owed to the delicate quality of the planning, raises the stakes for the diplomacy underway between the United States and Iran. U.S. Envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner volition clasp negotiations with Iran connected Tuesday (February 17, 2026) successful Geneva, with representatives from Oman acting arsenic mediators. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned connected Saturday (February 14, 2026) that portion Trump’s penchant was to scope a woody with Tehran, “that’s precise hard to do.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Trump has amassed subject forces successful the region, raising fears of caller subject action. U.S. officials said connected Friday (February 13, 2026) the Pentagon was sending an further craft bearer to the Middle East, adding thousands much troops on with combatant aircraft, guided-missile destroyers and different firepower susceptible of waging attacks and defending against them. Mr. Trump, speaking connected Friday (February 13, 2026) aft a subject lawsuit astatine Fort Bragg successful North Carolina, openly floated the possibility of changing the authorities successful Iran, saying it “seems similar that would beryllium the champion happening that could happen.” He declined to stock who helium wanted to instrumentality implicit Iran, but said, “there are people.”
“For 47 years, they’ve been talking and talking and talking,” Mr. Trump said. Mr. Trump has agelong voiced skepticism astir sending crushed troops into Iran, saying past year, “the past happening you privation to bash is crushed forces,” and the kinds of U.S. firepower arrayed successful the Middle East truthful far suggest options for strikes chiefly by aerial and naval forces. In Venezuela, Mr. Trump demonstrated a willingness to trust besides connected peculiar operations forces to prehend that country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, successful a raid past month.
Asked for remark connected the preparations for a perchance sustained U.S. subject operation, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said: “President Trump has each options connected the array with respect to Iran.”
“He listens to a assortment of perspectives connected immoderate fixed issue, but makes the final determination based connected what is champion for our state and nationalist security,” Ms. Kelly said.
The Pentagon declined to comment.
The United States sent 2 craft carriers to the portion past year, erstwhile it carried retired strikes against Iranian atomic sites. However, June’s “Midnight Hammer” cognition was fundamentally a one-off U.S. attack, with stealth bombers flying from the United States to onslaught Iranian atomic facilities. Iran staged a precise constricted retaliatory onslaught connected a U.S. basal successful Qatar.
Risks increasing
The readying nether mode this clip is much complex, the officials said.
In a sustained campaign, the U.S. subject could deed Iranian authorities and information facilities, not conscionable atomic infrastructure, 1 of the officials said. The official declined to supply circumstantial details.
Experts accidental the risks to U.S. forces would beryllium acold greater successful specified an cognition against Iran, which boasts a formidable arsenal of missiles. Retaliatory Iranian strikes besides summation the hazard of a determination conflict.
The aforesaid authoritative said the United States afloat expected Iran to retaliate, starring to back-and-forth strikes and reprisals implicit time.
The White House and Pentagon did not respond to questions astir the risks of retaliation oregon determination conflict. Mr. Trump has repeatedly threatened to weaponry Iran implicit its atomic and ballistic rocket programs and crushing of interior dissent. On Thursday, helium warned the alternate to a diplomatic solution would “be precise traumatic, precise traumatic.”
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has warned that successful lawsuit of strikes connected Iranian territory, it could retaliate against immoderate U.S. Military base.
The U.S. maintains bases passim the Middle East, including successful Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met Mr. Trump for talks successful Washington connected Wednesday (February 11, 2026), saying that if an statement with Iran were reached, “it indispensable see the elements that are captious to Israel.”
Iran has said it is prepared to sermon curbs connected its nuclear programme successful speech for lifting sanctions, but has ruled retired linking the contented to missiles.
On Saturday (February 14, 2026), Iranian absorption fig Reza Pahlavi said U.S. subject involution in Iran could prevention lives and urged Washington not to walk excessively agelong negotiating with Tehran’s clerical rulers connected a atomic deal.
The exiled lad of Iran’s toppled shah told Reuters successful an interrogation determination were signs that the Iranian authorities was connected the brink of illness and that an onslaught could weaken it oregon accelerate its fall.
“We are hoping that this onslaught volition expedite the process and the radical tin beryllium yet backmost successful the streets and instrumentality it each the mode to the eventual regime’s downfall,” said Mr. Pahlavi, who is based successful the United States and has lived extracurricular Iran since earlier his begetter was toppled successful the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
