Washington, Feb 20 (EFE).- US President Donald Trump suggested Friday that he is considering a limited military strike against Iran to pressure Tehran into reaching an agreement to curb its nuclear program.
“I guess I can say I am considering that,” Trump told reporters at the White House when asked about the possibility of a smaller-scale attack on Iranian territory, near areas where the US has recently deployed a large number of warships.
Trump’s remarks come a day after he set a 10-day deadline, during the first meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington, to decide whether the United States will intervene militarily in Iran.
CNN and The New York Times reported this week that the US military is prepared to carry out an imminent strike on Iran, pending final authorization from the president.
US military deployments around Iran have increased in recent weeks.
The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, which had been part of the Caribbean fleet during operations against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, was approaching the Strait of Gibraltar on Wednesday to join the USS Abraham Lincoln, already stationed in Middle Eastern waters, according to The Times.
The reinforcement also includes dozens of refueling tanker aircraft, more than 50 additional fighter jets, and two aircraft carrier strike groups, along with their destroyers, cruisers, and submarines, US officials told the newspaper.
Alongside the military buildup, diplomatic contacts between the United States and Iran are continuing through special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Israel is also reportedly preparing for a possible joint strike with the United States, The New York Times reported, citing two Israeli defense sources. EFE ygg-acd-sk
