Report: Trump is considering further escalation against Iran

The President of the United States Donald Trump is inclined to expand the military activity against Iran, it was reported tonight (between Wednesday and Thursday) in the Wall Street Journal. According to the report, in recent days Trump has received a series of briefings from senior administration officials on various options for escalating the campaign, and the White House is now discussing broader military measures – as we published last night on N12.

According to the report, in recent days Trump received a series of briefings from senior administration officials on various options for expanding the campaign against Iran. Among the scenarios examined: the expansion of airstrikes, the sending of American ground forces to take control of Iranian islands near the Strait of Hormuz and the bombing of the fortified underground tunnel complex in Mount Meshush.

Yesterday we reported that on Tuesday evening Trump held a discussion in the situation room at the White House, where they reviewed the possible scenarios for escalation. The Wall Street Journal stated that, among other things, the takeover of Kharg Island and other areas along the Strait of Hormuz by American forces was discussed. The possibility of expanding the airstrikes towards additional targets, including energy facilities, also remains on the agenda.

The report comes after Trump has already signaled in recent days that he is considering expanding the attacks. The president said throughout the last two weeks that the purpose of the escalation is to put pressure on Iran to accept the American demands on the nuclear issue and to open the Strait of Hormuz. “Maybe next week we will attack bridges and power plants,” he revealed on Tuesday in an interview with Fox News, adding that “the energy facilities will remain until the end.”

At the same time as the exchange of fire in the Gulf, Iranian Foreign Minister Arakchi arrived in Qatar, which has been trying for the past two weeks to return the parties to the diplomatic track. The talks are taking place after the United States declared that from now on the negotiations will only be conducted under fire, and while Iran is responding by launching drones and missiles at the Gulf states.

Already tonight there was a step up in American activity. According to an AP report, the United States expanded its attacks against Iran and hit more northern targets in the country, and for the first time in the current round of escalation, attacks were also reported in the Tehran area. At the same time, in Iran it was reported that the air defense systems were activated in the capital.

Later, the Central Command of the United States Army announced that another wave of attacks had been completed in Iran, carried out on Trump’s orders. According to the announcement, Iranian command centers, air defense sites, missile launch capabilities and UAVs as well as surveillance facilities spread along the coast were attacked.