A swift and extensive buildup of American military power in the Middle East means that President Trump now has the option to launch strikes against Iran as early as this coming weekend. This development places the White House at a critical juncture, facing monumental decisions between pursuing further diplomacy or engaging in war, according to administration and Pentagon officials.
While the President has not yet indicated a final decision on how to proceed, the momentum to assemble a formidable military force capable of targeting Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missiles, and associated launch sites has continued this week despite indirect discussions held between the two nations on Tuesday, where Iran requested a two-week period to present more detailed proposals for a diplomatic resolution.
President Trump has consistently demanded that Iran dismantle its nuclear program, including halting all uranium enrichment. Concurrently, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose nation could participate in such an attack, has advocated for immediate action to diminish Iran’s missile launch capabilities against Israel.
For weeks, Israeli forces have maintained a heightened state of alert and have intensified preparations for a potential conflict. A meeting of Israel’s security cabinet was notably rescheduled from Thursday to Sunday, two Israeli defense officials confirmed.
Many officials within the U.S. administration remain skeptical about the likelihood of achieving a diplomatic agreement with Tehran. Although Tuesday’s indirect talks in Geneva concluded with what Iran’s foreign minister described as an accord on “guiding principles,” American officials acknowledged progress but noted that significant disagreements persist.
The President has repeatedly warned Iran that it must comply with his demands or face severe consequences. However, another military engagement, following a 12-day conflict just eight months prior where Israel and the United States attacked Iranian military and nuclear facilities, carries substantial risks. A key concern is that Iran might retaliate with a fierce barrage of missile strikes against Israel and American forces stationed in the region.
For a President who campaigned on a promise to avoid foreign wars, President Trump is now contemplating what would be at least the seventh American military intervention in another country within the last year, and his second against Iran. After hitting three Iranian nuclear sites last June, President Trump declared Iran’s nuclear program “obliterated.” Yet, he is now considering redeploying the U.S. military to continue the mission.
However, unlike the previous U.S.-Israeli coordinated attack, the President’s current objectives appear less defined.
The U.S. military buildup includes dozens of refueling tankers, rapidly deployed to the region by United States Central Command, over 50 additional fighter jets, and two aircraft carrier strike groups, complete with their escort destroyers, cruisers, and submarines, as stated by U.S. officials.
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, previously seen in the North Sea, is now en route to the Middle East.
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, recently engaged in naval operations pressuring the Venezuelan government of President Nicolás Maduro in the Caribbean, was sighted near Gibraltar on Wednesday, making its way to rendezvous with the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group already in the region.
“The President has consistently emphasized that diplomacy is always his preferred option regarding Iran or any nation globally. Iran would be prudent to reach an agreement with President Trump and this administration,” stated Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, on Wednesday.
She added, “His decisions concerning military action are always made with the best interests of the United States, our military, and the American people at heart.”
In Israel, defense officials confirmed that significant preparations are underway for a potential joint strike with the U.S., despite the absence of a firm decision to launch such an attack. They indicated that planning anticipates a multi-day operation designed to inflict a severe blow, aiming to compel Iran into diplomatic concessions it has thus far resisted.
The scale of the U.S. military buildup suggests a range of potential Iranian targets, including short and medium-range missiles, missile storage facilities, nuclear installations, and other military assets such as the headquarters of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Ultimately, the final determination regarding the scope of these targets rests with the President, U.S. officials noted.
Administration and military leaders affirmed that the United States has enhanced its defensive capabilities since the President’s initial threats to strike Iran in January.
At that time, the President had requested options to counter the Iranian government’s violent suppression of protests. More recently, however, his threats have centered on attacking Iran if it fails to agree to limits on its nuclear program, famously stating that a “massive Armada” was heading towards the country.
Despite this firm posture, the Pentagon was ill-prepared to support such actions last month. The 30,000 to 40,000 U.S. troops scattered across the Middle East, including those at eight permanent bases, possessed insufficient air defenses to shield them from anticipated retaliation.
Furthermore, the additional fighter jets required for the scale of operation the President discussed were dormant at American bases in Europe and even within the United States. A significant portion of the military hardware that had accumulated in the Middle East over two decades of war had since been withdrawn from the region.
However, over the past month, the U.S. military has successfully deployed the necessary air defense systems, including Patriot missile defense and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems, to the region. Both systems are capable of intercepting Iranian ballistic missiles.
A military official confirmed on Wednesday that the aircraft carriers are equipped with their own defense systems, including accompanying destroyers capable of intercepting incoming missiles. He added that hitting a rapidly moving aircraft carrier with a ballistic missile poses a considerable challenge.
American B-2 bombers, previously utilized by President Trump during strikes on Iran last year, along with other U.S.-based long-range bombers, have been placed on a heightened alert status, officials reported.
Senior national security officials have advised the President that any operation aimed at altering Iran’s leadership is not guaranteed to achieve its objectives, sources indicated.
The President’s decision last month to postpone earlier threatened strikes against Iran – a move, two administration officials stated, that followed military advice that the Pentagon was not yet ready – may have inadvertently given Iran more time to prepare for an attack.
Vali Nasr, an Iran expert at Johns Hopkins University, commented, “Diplomacy might afford the U.S. more time to prepare its military, but it simultaneously grants Iran additional time to plan its retaliation.” He concluded, “Ultimately, the president must weigh the costs of engaging Iran. Ironically, his current strategy has made those costs more probable.”