CNN: Trump considers airstrikes on Iranian leaders, nuclear sites

U.S. President Donald Trump is considering options for launching airstrikes against Iranian leaders and security officials, as well as nuclear facilities and government institutions,  people familiar with the matter told CNN.

"Options he is now considering include US military airstrikes aimed at Iran’s leaders and the security officials believed to be responsible for the killings, as well as strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and government institutions," the sources said.

They noted that Trump has yet to make a final decision on how to proceed. However, the US president believes that his military capabilities have expanded compared to the beginning of the month, as a US Navy aircraft carrier strike group is now in the region, the informed people added.

The sources believe that the heightened threat of U.S. military action is linked to the failure of negotiations between the two countries.

On January 28, Trump posted on Truth Social demanding that Iran come to the table to negotiate “a fair and equitable deal – NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS.” He warned the next US attack on the country “will be far worse” than the one it carried out last summer, when the US military attacked three of Iran’s nuclear sites.

According to The New York Times, Iranian representatives refused to accept U.S. demands that included a complete halt to uranium enrichment, restrictions on the range and number of ballistic missiles, and an end to any support for proxy groups in the Middle East, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis operating in Yemen.

By Khagan Isayev