U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that the administration will soon determine whether to resume military action against Iran.
The United States and Israel initiated the conflict in February with the stated objective of preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.
Speaking with reporters at the White House, Trump weighed whether the U.S. should escalate its strikes to guarantee the permanent destruction of Iran’s nuclear capabilities.
“I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to. You’ll know soon enough,” he said.
Following consultations with his national security team, Trump asserted that the United States had already secured its primary strategic objectives regarding Iran.
“Now we will make a decision,” he added.
A U.S. official told Axios that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is preparing for the potential resumption of full-scale military operations in Iran, though Washington has not issued new operational directives to the command.
As President Trump evaluates his next steps, mediators have traveled to Tehran in recent days to advance negotiations, while Trump has publicly cited potential progress in ongoing peace discussions.
Backstory…
This comes just dares after U.S. officials confirmed to CBS, the BBC’s American partner, that the United States initiated military strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island, located in the Strait of Hormuz.
According to U.S. officials, the limited strikes were launched after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) targeted an American aircraft. BBC has contacted U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), which oversees operations in the Middle East, for official comment.
Meanwhile, in recent development, Iran has submitted a nuclear proposal to the United States via Qatari mediators, which Tehran will review only after Washington satisfies seven specific conditions, according to a senior Iranian official speaking to Reuters on Thursday.
Read Also: Iran Sends Fresh Nuclear Proposal to Washington Through Qatar
