President Donald Trump is “leaning toward” major military strikes in Iran after the midterm election, according to unnamed U.S. officials cited in a new CNN report.
The report, written by CNN’s Zachary Cohen, Jim Sciutto and Tal Shalev, said American forces stationed in the Middle East are ready to carry out a major military operation in Iran within four days of receiving an order from the president.
One unnamed official quoted in the report said an operation in Iran “will be a big effort.”
According to the CNN reporters, that assessment has been echoed by other current and former U.S. officials familiar with internal military planning discussions. Some of those officials say the question is not whether Trump will issue a go-order, but when.
“They believe it could come any time before the end of the year, though most likely after the US midterm elections,” Cohen, Sciutto and Shalev wrote.
The president has not been shy about his thinking on the matter. Trump has been open in his public deliberations about whether to escalate the conflict with Iran, and he addressed the issue directly as recently as Sunday.
Appearing on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” Trump said he is weighing whether to “finish them off.”
“Now my question is: Do I make a deal with them or do I finish them off?” Trump said. “It’s the only question. Do I make a deal or do I finish them off?”
The comments underscore the choice now before the White House: pursue a deal with Tehran or move forward with a major military campaign.
CNN also reported that Israel has been pressing hard behind the scenes for an escalation.
An Israeli security source told the network that Benjamin Netanyahu had sought to bring Trump on board for a joint attack on Iran ahead of the election.
“[Benjamin] Netanyahu really wanted and tried to convince Trump for a joint attack in Iran before the elections, and Trump did not give a green light,” the source told CNN.
Netanyahu’s office pushed back on that account, telling CNN the claim was “fake news.”
The Pentagon, for its part, offered a brief statement to the network that neither confirmed nor denied the specifics of the report.
“The Department is a planning organization, and its job is to develop and execute military options ordered by the President,” the Pentagon said.
The report suggests U.S. forces in the region are positioned to move quickly should the president decide to act. With troops reportedly able to launch a major operation within four days of an order, the timeline for any potential strike would rest largely with Trump himself.
For now, the president appears to be keeping his options open. His remarks on Sunday framed the decision as a stark one, with a negotiated deal on one side and a decisive military blow on the other.
According to the officials cited by CNN, however, many inside the national security apparatus believe the decision may already be leaning in one direction, with action possible any time before the end of the year and most likely coming after voters head to the polls in the midterm elections.
