Top national security officials have informed US President Donald Trump that the United States military is prepared for potential strikes against Iran as early as this Saturday, CBS News reported on Wednesday.
However, sources familiar with the high level discussions told CBS News that the timeline for any potential action is likely to extend beyond this coming weekend.
President Trump has not yet reached a final decision regarding whether to move forward with the strikes, according to officials who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters of national security. The ongoing conversations were described as fluid, with the White House carefully weighing the risks of escalation against the political and military consequences of restraint.
In preparation for potential action or Iranian counterattacks, the Pentagon is temporarily moving some personnel out of the Middle East region over the next three days. These personnel are primarily being relocated to Europe or back to the United States.
One source noted that shifting assets and personnel is standard practice ahead of potential military activity and does not necessarily indicate that an attack on the Islamic Republic is imminent.
One source in the US administration, who was quoted by The Telegraph, said there was now a 90 percent chance of war in the coming weeks. An Israeli former intelligence chief cited in the same report said he believed the strike would take place within days.
When contacted on Wednesday afternoon, a spokesperson for the Pentagon stated they had no information to provide at this time.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed the situation during a briefing on Wednesday, noting that there are "many reasons and arguments that one could make for a strike against Iran." She emphasized, however, that diplomacy remains the president's first option. Leavitt declined to comment on whether any potential military action would be coordinated with Israel.
The United States continues to bolster its military presence in the region. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier group and its flotilla of warships are already stationed in the area. A second carrier group, the USS Gerald Ford, is currently en route to the Middle East.
Maritime vessel tracking data indicated that as of Wednesday, the Ford was positioned off the coast of West Africa.
Meanwhile, a senior official told the Reuters news agency on Wednesday that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Israel on February 28.
According to the official, Rubio is expected to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the visit to discuss Iran.
The report further said that Iran is expected to submit a written proposal on how to avoid its standoff with the United States following talks held in Geneva on Tuesday.
A senior US official told Reuters that top national security advisers met in the White House Situation Room to discuss Iran and were told all US forces deployed to the region should be in place by mid-March.
The report follows remarks by an Israeli official, who said on Wednesday that there is a high level of preparedness for an American strike on Iran, but stressed that US President Donald Trump has yet to make any final decisions.
According to the source, Israel and the US are in close coordination on the matter, as the US military has increased its deployment in the area.