The U.S. military is mobilizing for likely weekslong operations against Iran if Donald Trump orders an attack, two officials claimed, raising the prospect of a far more serious conflict than previously seen between the two nations.
The officials spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the planning, which raises the stakes for the diplomacy underway between the United States and Iran.
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will hold negotiations with Iran Tuesday in Geneva, with representatives from Oman acting as mediators.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio cautioned Saturday that while Trump's preference was to reach a deal with Tehran, "that’s very hard to do."
Meanwhile, Trump has amassed military forces in the region, raising fears of new military action. U.S. officials said on Friday the Pentagon was sending an additional aircraft carrier to the Middle East, adding thousands more troops along with fighter aircraft, guided-missile destroyers and other firepower capable of waging attacks and defending against them.
