Mounting evidence suggests President Donald Trump is gearing up for military action against Iran.
As an unprecedented conflict between Israel and Iran dragged on into a fifth day, President Donald Trump has increasingly indicated that he was seriously considering a direct intervention in the fight.
And while the Pentagon has thus far maintained that U.S. forces were operating in a purely «defensive posture», while also assisting Israeli interceptions of Iranian missiles, evidence is mounting that the White House is marching toward military action against the Islamic Republic.Trump’s Threats Intensify
Just prior to Israel launching its large-scale campaign on Thursday, Trump had signaled a willingness to continue nuclear negotiations with Iran, the sixth round of which had been scheduled to be held in Oman last Sunday. Even after the initial Israeli strikes began, Trump called on Tehran to double down on efforts to reach an agreement.
As of Monday, however, Trump has adopted a notably more ominous tone. Shortly before his abrupt exit from the G7 meeting being held in Canada, he called on residents of Tehran, home to nearly 10 million people, to immediately evacuate, and later met with top national security officials at the White House Situation Room.
The president further hardened his language on Tuesday, claiming on his Truth Social platform that «we have complete and total control of the skies over Iran», appearing to suggest the U.S. was already a party to the conflict. He even alleged to know the exact location of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, referring to the top Iranian authority as «an easy target», though, «we are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.»
«But we don’t want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers», Trump continued. «Our patience is wearing thin. Thank you for your attention to this matter!»
He then called for «UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!» in a follow-up post apparently aimed at Iran.US Builds Up Regional Footprint
Over the weekend, aviation watchers noticed around two dozen of U.S. Air Force KC-135R and KC-46A tankers being deployed to Europe. Such aircraft are necessary to refuel warplanes conducting forward operations from afar and reports later tied their movement to tensions building in the Middle East.
Then, on Monday, the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier diverted from the South China Sea to the Middle East, where it would join the USS Carl Vinson carrier strike group that entered the Arabian Sea in April.
«Consistent with the duty to protect U.S. forces in the Middle East, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth directed the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) area of responsibility to sustain our defensive posture and safeguard American personnel.
