The Wall Street Journal reports that if President Donald Trump does not see immediate progress on the Iranian front, he may launch a military operation against the regime at any moment, according to the report.
The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday evening that President Donald Trump may launch a military operation against Iran if he does not see immediate progress in resolving the standoff. The report, which does not specify the nature or scale of the potential operation, adds a new dimension to the escalating crisis: the possibility of unilateral U.S. military action, as opposed to the Iranian threats of preemptive strikes reported earlier in the day.
The new report builds on three earlier WSJ articles published at 17:27 Jerusalem, all citing Iranian sources. The first, attributed to a single unnamed diplomatic source, stated that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is considering preemptive attacks if diplomatic efforts fail. The second, citing an Iranian diplomat, confirmed that Tehran is weighing military action should diplomacy collapse. The third, citing multiple Iranian sources, further corroborated the assessment. The Zioneer first reported the Iranian diplomat's statement at 17:49 Jerusalem.
The new report also follows a series of recent WSJ articles detailing Trump's growing frustration with Iran. On July 24, The Zioneer reported that Trump was described as being in "revenge mode" and losing patience. On August 1, another WSJ report indicated that Trump was considering ordering a large-scale attack on Iran, including energy infrastructure. As The Zioneer has covered, the administration has been weighing various military options amid the ongoing direct US-Iran conflict, including a full-scale war option that Trump reviewed but decided against for now, as reported on July 1.
The new report does not indicate whether the operation under consideration would be a limited strike or a broader offensive, and it remains unclear if Trump has made any final decision. The report is based on unnamed sources familiar with the president's thinking.
4 developments
- DevelopingTrump tells NYT he will 'renew military attacks' on Iran if nuclear talks falter
- StrongTrump leans toward expanding operations against Iran, ynet reports
- StrongWhite House report: Trump weighs immediate order for large-scale attack on Iran, including energy infrastructure
- StrongTrump reviewed full-scale war option with Iran but decided against it for now, WSJ reports
Source and signal
- Open-source intake