WSJ: Trump threatens action within days if Iran won’t surrender

US President Donald Trump has told senior aides that he has approved plans for potential military strikes against Iran but is pausing execution to see whether Tehran might abandon its nuclear ambitions, according to individuals familiar with the internal discussions, according to the latest report by The Wall Street Journal.

At the centre of the possible targets is Iran’s heavily fortified Fordow uranium enrichment facility, which is built deep beneath a mountain and considered by experts to be invulnerable to all but the most powerful U.S. bunker-busting munitions.

When asked directly whether he had made a final decision about targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, Trump remained deliberately ambiguous. “I may do it, I may not do it,” he said. However, he once again reiterated his hardline stance, demanding complete Iranian capitulation. “The next week is going to be very big, maybe less than a week,” he warned.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, responded with defiance, vowing that Iran would not surrender. He warned that any military intervention by the United States would have devastating and irreversible consequences.

Meanwhile, the U.S. military has continued its steady build-up in the Middle East. A third U.S. Navy destroyer has entered the eastern Mediterranean Sea, and a second aircraft carrier strike group is en route to the Arabian Sea.

Though Pentagon officials describe these deployments as defensive in nature, the increased presence places American forces in a more advantageous position should Trump opt to support Israel’s ongoing military campaign against Iran.

Analysts suggest the show of force may also be a calculated effort to pressure Tehran into halting its nuclear program or agreeing to concessions at the negotiating table.

As the crisis intensifies, Israel and Iran continue to exchange fire. A human-rights monitoring group reports that the death toll in Iran has now exceeded 450, while Iranian attacks on Israeli territory have killed 24 people so far.

By Tamilla Hasanova