US President Donald Trump has said that he wants to initially try to resolve the issue of Iran's nuclear program at the negotiating table or through a limited strike on Iran before moving on to the option of major action aimed at overthrowing the Iranian government, the sources said, reports The New York Times.
People familiar with the discussions in the US administration said that Trump has told his advisers that if diplomacy or an initial limited US strike does not lead to Iran giving up its nuclear program, he will consider the option of a much larger attack in the coming months, aimed at removing Iranian leaders from power.
The advisers noted that no final decisions have been made yet, but Trump is inclined to a possible first strike in the coming days to convince the Iranian authorities to accept his demands and give up the possibility of developing nuclear weapons. The targets under consideration include the headquarters of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, nuclear facilities, and enterprises related to the ballistic missile program.
The discussion of plans to strike Iran took place last Wednesday at the White House.
Plans to immediately send US special operations forces to Iran to destroy its nuclear and missile program facilities were also considered in the past. However, many US officials have assured that the proposal to carry out a ground operation in Iran has been postponed indefinitely due to the difficulties of its implementation.
Also, representatives of the US Army, Navy, and Air Force have warned that a protracted conflict with Iran, or maintaining combat readiness for such an operation for a long time, could negatively affect the American military.
