Drums of War: CNN Talks about US Plans for Major Iran Strikes if Trump Chooses

By Staff, Agencies

Two US officials told CNN that forces in the Middle East are prepared to launch new, potentially major, military operations against Iran “within 96 hours of receiving” an order from President Donald Trump.

“Sufficient forces are now deployed in the region to carry out the potential attacks,” the sources said.

The sources further stated “The scope of new US military operations would likely go beyond efforts to simply “mow the lawn” or maintain the status quo by striking radars, launchers and other Iranian assets that can be quickly reconstituted - as has been the case since Trump halted full combat operations earlier this year.”

“It will be a big effort,” one of the officials told CNN.

That view has been echoed by other current and former US officials familiar with internal military planning discussions - some of whom say it is a question of when, not if, Trump will issue a go-order. They believe it could come any time before the end of the year, though most likely after the US midterm elections.

According to CNN, Iranian forces are now more familiar with US tactics, and it would therefore be harder for the American military to effectively destroy all potential intended targets.

Officials say that Trump has not made up his mind on what he will do after the midterms but that he appears to be leaning toward ordering major action. But officials also caution that Trump has appeared in the past to lean toward certain actions only to back off at the last moment.

A senior Pentagon official told CNN in a statement, “The Department is a planning organization, and its job is to develop and execute military options ordered by the President.”

While the US Embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is the only American diplomatic facility in the region under ordered departure, one of the sources told CNN that others are expected to receive similar directives and those that do not will be scaled down under a personnel cap.

Additionally, nonessential US military personnel who were expected to deploy to the Middle East as part of the next troop rotation have been told they are no longer being sent, according to a US official, underscoring the possibility of looming regional escalation.