Washington (Monitoring Desk): US President Donald Trump has indicated that he is preparing for a brief but intense military operation against Iran after the midterm elections scheduled for November 3. Meanwhile, the United States has also warned Gulf countries about possible military action.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the United States and Israel are preparing new military operations aimed at weakening Iran and compelling it to enter negotiations.
Citing officials, the report said the US military was moving Patriot missile defence systems from Texas to the Middle East. Personnel were being relocated from vulnerable bases, ammunition stockpiles were being replenished, and bombers and fighter jets were being prepared for possible strikes.
The newspaper reported that an additional aircraft carrier and a Marine expeditionary unit were expected to be deployed to the Middle East next month. Around 20 US Navy warships are already present in the region.
According to the report, Trump has not yet made a final decision on an attack but favours a large-scale military operation after the elections. Sources said potential strikes could target Iranian infrastructure and nuclear facilities.
The White House declined to comment on the report, saying it does not discuss sensitive military plans that may or may not exist. It added that President Trump had kept all options open to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, speaking at an election rally in Lubbock, Texas, Trump claimed that the United States had not started the war against Iran. He said Iran had been carrying out actions against the United States since 1979 and was responsible for the deaths of thousands of American troops.
He argued that previous US presidents should have taken action against Iran decades ago. Trump also claimed that Operations Midnight Hammer and Epic Fury had destroyed Iran’s nuclear enrichment capabilities and defeated the country militarily and financially.
The US president said the situation involving Iran could become clearer within a few weeks and that the matter could be brought to an end whenever he chose. He also claimed that oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz had increased and suggested that the waterway could be renamed the “Strait of Trump”.
Trump had previously said he would not attack Iran before the midterm elections.