US President Donald Trump is weighing an initial limited military strike on Iran to force it to meet his demands for a nuclear deal, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Such a move would be a first step that would be designed to pressure Tehran into an agreement but fall short of a full-scale attack that could inspire a major retaliation, according to the report.
This opening assault, which if authorized could come within days, would target a few military or government sites, the sources told the Wall Street Journal.
If Iran still refused to comply with Trump’s directive to end its nuclear enrichment following the initial attack, the US would respond with a broad campaign against regime facilities and would potentially aim at toppling the Tehran regime.
Trump warned Iran on Thursday that it must reach a deal over its nuclear program or “bad things" will happen.
The President said negotiations with Iran were going well, but insisted Tehran has to reach a “meaningful" agreement.
“Now, we may have to take it a step further - or we may not. Maybe we’re going to make a deal. You’re going to be finding out over the next, probably 10 days," Trump added.
On Wednesday, CBS News reported that top national security officials have informed Trump that the United States military is prepared for potential strikes against Iran as early as this Saturday.
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.
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.
Meanwhile, a senior official told Reuters 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.