The U.S. military has been prepared "for more than a while" to strike Iran, and the country's nuclear facilities would be "a primary target," retired Army Lt. Col. Tony Shaffer told Newsmax on Thursday.
Shaffer, president of the London Center for Policy Research, made the comments during an appearance on Newsmax's "Wake Up America Early" with host Sharla McBride, as new reports and satellite imagery suggest Iran is fortifying underground nuclear sites heavily damaged during 12 days of U.S. and Israeli strikes last June.
"I think that the military has been prepared for more than a while on this," Shaffer said, adding that one of the biggest concerns is that the U.S. and its allies still do not have full confirmation of what damage was done or where Iran may have moved sensitive nuclear material.
"We have battle damage assessments we've done, but there's been no physical access to the facilities or those areas where we believe they move some of the nuclear material," Shaffer said.
That lack of access, he argued, makes any future U.S. action more likely to focus on the nuclear infrastructure itself — and on the suspected locations where Iran may be hiding nuclear material away from inspectors.
Shaffer said Iran's nuclear enrichment levels remain a central issue, noting that civilian nuclear programs typically require only low levels of enrichment.
"Two to 5% is all the enrichment you need for civilian use," Shaffer said. "They were at 60[%] to 80[%]. So, there's no doubt they were up to no good."
The retired intelligence officer suggested Iran may try to avoid a U.S. strike by offering renewed access to inspectors and presenting a diplomatic off-ramp.
"I think this is one of the things that the Iranians are smart," Shaffer said. "They'll back off and say, 'Hey, you can go look.'"
Shaffer also expressed skepticism that negotiations between the U.S. and Iran are making progress, warning that Tehran continues to refuse to address key concerns beyond its nuclear program.
Shaffer said the U.S. and Israel want talks to include Iran's ballistic missile development and its support for terrorist proxy groups, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis.
"The Iranians continue to refuse," he said, predicting that the negotiations could "lead to a complete failure of the talks within a couple of days."
Shaffer also pointed to growing concerns over Iran's missile capabilities, including reported hypersonic weapons that could threaten Israel with little warning.
As tensions rise, Shaffer said a U.S. strike remains possible if President Donald Trump chooses to authorize it. If he does, Iran's nuclear infrastructure would likely be among the first targets.
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Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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