US, “Israel” Escalate Military Pressure as Washington Weighs Aggression Against Iran

By Staff, Agencies

The United States military is continuing to expand its presence in the Middle East amid ongoing speculation that President Donald Trump could order an attack on Iran, further heightening tensions in the region.

The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, along with its strike group, has reached the Strait of Malacca between Malaysia and Indonesia and is expected to enter the area of responsibility of US Central Command within the next five to seven days. The carrier is accompanied by the destroyers USS Spruance and USS Michael Murphy.

Reports indicate that 12 F-15 fighter jets have arrived in Jordan in the past 24 hours, with additional combat aircraft believed to be en route. Cargo planes have also landed at the US military base on Diego Garcia, signaling continued military buildup.

US officials told The Jerusalem Post that “all options are now on the table,” saying Washington is seeking to assemble a sizable force in the region to give Trump flexibility should he choose to strike Iran.

The “Israeli” entity’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened senior military officials on Sunday to review regional developments, with “Israeli” authorities maintaining that a US attack on Iran remains a possibility.

Trump was convinced last Wednesday to cancel a planned strike, partly because of the US military’s limited capabilities in the region following the redeployment of assets to the Caribbean and East Asia after the 12-day war in June.

 Several Arab states had also informed Washington that they would not permit US aircraft to launch attacks on Iran from their territory.

That same day, Netanyahu told Trump during a phone call that the entity was unprepared to defend itself against an Iranian response to a US strike, given the reduced American military presence in the region compared to previous confrontations.

Former US ambassador to the “Israeli” entity Dan Shapiro suggested that Trump, motivated by rhetorical promises to the Iranian people, may have been seeking a dramatic military action as an exit strategy. However, Shapiro said the situation is changing as US forces return to the region, once again making military aggression an option.

Shapiro claimed that Trump’s preference for a single, high-impact strike could lead him to target the Leader of the Islamic Revolution His Eminence Imam Sayyed Ali Khamenei describing such an act as “big and dramatic.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded on X, warning that any attack on Imam Khamenei would constitute a declaration of full-scale war against Iran.

While Shapiro noted that such a move might appeal to some Iranians, he warned of what he called the “Venezuela effect,” citing the failure of US efforts to remove former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.

He cautioned that Trump lacks the long-term commitment necessary for "regime change", adding that assassinating Imam Khamenei would not dismantle the system and could instead result in the Islamic Revolutionary Guards [IRG] temporarily assuming control.