US President Donald Trump may be gearing up to strike Iran “within 24 hours” following a massive military build-up in the Middle East. Representatives from the two countries have met twice in recent weeks with minimal results — with growing alarm that a collapse in diplomacy could spark another regional war. The US military has repositioned multiple air and naval assets close to Iran over the past few months and Trump warned on Thursday that “bad things will happen” if a deal was not struck soon.
American journalist and former intelligence officer John Kiriakou cited White House sources to claim Trump had “decided to attack Iran on Monday or Tuesday”. He cited a former CIA agent to add that battle lines had also been drawn within the Trump team — with only JD Vance and Tulsi Gabbard against this plan. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth have reportedly emerged as vehement supporters of the plan alongside all the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The POTUS had delivered a 10 day ultimatum for Iran on Thursday evening — later telling reporters that he was weighing a limited military strike to pressurise the other country. According to a report by the New York Times, Trump is weighing various options to strike Iran amid the negotiations over its nuclear program.
“I guess I can say I am considering that,” a NYT report quoted him as saying on Friday.
Satellite images accessed by the publication on Friday showed more than 60 attack aircrafts parked at the US base in central Jordan. Flight data added that at least 68 cargo planed had landed since Sunday.
10 day ultimatum from Trump
Trump delivered a 10 day ultimatum for Iran to strike a deal earlier this week — insisting that the world would soon find out whether the US had managed to reach an agreement. Trump has ordered a huge buildup of forces in the Middle East and preparations for a potential multi-week air attack on Iran. But he has not laid out in detail to the American public why he might be leading the U.S. into its most aggressive action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution.
“Now is the time for Iran to join us on a path that will complete what we’re doing. And if they join us, that’ll be great. If they don’t join us, that’ll be great, too. But it’ll be a very different path. They cannot continue to threaten the stability of the entire region. And they must make a deal. Or if that doesn’t happen, bad things will happen if it doesn’t,” Trump warned during a Board of Peace event on Thursday evening.