Tehran: The US military is ready to attack Iran as early as this weekend, even though President Donald Trump has not made a final decision yet on whether he’ll authorise an armed confrontation with Tehran, according to reports by CNN and CBS. The development comes amid a massive US military buildup in the Middle East, including warships, fighter jets, and refuelling aircraft, laying the foundation for a potentially sustained campaign against Iran.
According to a CNN report, the White House has been briefed that the military is ready for an attack by the weekend, but Trump remains unconvinced that it’s the best course of action. Citing the source, the US publication reported that the American commander-in-chief has privately argued both for and against military action and polled advisers and allies on the best course of action.
It remains unclear if he will make a decision by the weekend. “He is spending a lot of time thinking about this,” a source said.Trump—who ordered strikes on Iran last year—has repeatedly threatened Tehran with further military action if ongoing talks do not reach a replacement for the nuclear deal the US president tore up in 2018, during his first term in office.
US Military Buildup in the Middle EastWashington currently has 13 warships in the Middle East: one aircraft carrier—the USS Abraham Lincoln—nine destroyers and three littoral combat ships, with more on the way, according to a US official.The USS Gerald R. Ford—the world’s largest aircraft carrier—is currently in the Atlantic Ocean en route from the Caribbean to the Middle East, after being ordered there by Trump earlier this month. It is accompanied by three destroyers. It is rare for there to be two US aircraft carriers—which carry dozens of warplanes and are crewed by thousands of sailors—in the Middle East.
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