President Donald Trump is continuing to press his national security team for "decisive" military options against Iran, even after holding back on launching strikes last week, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The discussions come amid Iran's brutal crackdown on nationwide protests, with thousands reportedly killed as the government tightens its grip as the economy collapses.
While no final decision has been made, Trump's insistence on "decisive" action has prompted senior Pentagon and White House officials to refine a range of military options, the Journal reported.
These reportedly include both limited strikes — such as targeting facilities tied to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — and more expansive plans aimed at crippling or even toppling the regime.
The United States is significantly boosting its military posture in the Middle East.
An aircraft carrier strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln is moving toward the Persian Gulf, accompanied by destroyers, F-35 fighter jets, and electronic warfare aircraft, the report said. Additional U.S. F-15E fighter jets have arrived in Jordan.
More missile defense systems, including Patriot and THAAD batteries, are also being deployed to protect American forces and allies from potential Iranian retaliation, the report said.
Trump has made clear that Iran's violent suppression of protesters is a key factor in his thinking.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz cited U.N. assessments suggesting Iranian authorities may have killed as many as 18,000 people. Human rights groups estimate confirmed deaths at more than 4,500, with numbers likely rising.
Asked Tuesday whether military action remains on the table, Trump noted that Tehran backed down from plans to carry out hundreds of executions after U.S. warnings.
"We're just going to have to see what happens with Iran," he said.
Some officials and analysts caution that airstrikes alone may not be enough to topple the Iranian regime.
David Deptula, a retired Air Force lieutenant general, told the Journal that while military pressure can deter certain actions, regime change would require far more than limited strikes.
Trump has also been briefed on nonmilitary options, including stepped-up sanctions and efforts to help Iranian protesters communicate and organize, the Journal reported. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Iran's economy has already collapsed under U.S. financial pressure, fueling unrest.
Iranian leaders, meanwhile, have issued sharp threats. President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that any attack on Iran's leadership would amount to "all-out war."
In a column for the Journal on Tuesday, Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that "our powerful armed forces have no qualms about firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack."
Araghchi added, "This isn't a threat, but a reality I feel I need to convey explicitly."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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