The White House is developing military options for President Donald Trump to attack Iran.
According to sources speaking with The Wall Street Journal, Trump is pressing top American officials to develop plans for attacking Iran that would be “decisive.” The options under development range from striking Iranian military facilities or attempting to overthrow the government with a bombing campaign.
US military personnel in the Middle East and the Iranian government believed Trump was going to order strikes on Iran last week. However, after speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he declined to give the order.
An official said that Netanyahu told Trump that Israel was unprepared for an Iranian counterattack. Trump’s advisors also could not give an assurance to the President that the planned attack would cause the Iranian government to fall.
US officials were additionally concerned that the Department of War lacked the necessary military equipment in the Middle East to defend American soldiers from Iranian retaliatory attacks.
Trump will have more options for a larger attack on Iran in the coming weeks as the US is moving military assets to the Middle East. The President has ordered an aircraft carrier strike group, air defense systems, and additional fighter jets to the Middle East.
In recent months, the US moved two aircraft carrier strike groups out of the Middle East, including the USS Gerald Ford. The Ford and its support ships were moved into Latin America to target Venezuela.
