Trump appears ready to attack Iran as U.S. strike force takes shape

"The arsenal, under assembly for weeks, is awaiting the arrival of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its accompanying warships, officials familiar with the matter said, after military leaders last week extended their deployment and ordered the ships to the region from the Caribbean Sea. The vessels were approaching the Strait of Gibraltar on Thursday, making an attack possible within days, said these people said these people, whom like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military planning."

"President Donald Trump, speaking Thursday morning at an event in Washington, was ambiguous about what he might do. "Maybe we're going to make a deal. Maybe not," he said at the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace. "You're going to be finding out over the next, maybe, 10 days." The administration wants it known, officials said, that they are building combat power in the region."

"The president also has publicly raised the possibility of toppling Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a longtime U.S. adversary, suggesting last week that it would be "the best thing that could happen," if Iran ends up with new leaders. Still, it remains unclear whether Trump has approved military action, people familiar with the matter said. One consideration, some noted, is the ongoing Winter Olympics, which conclude Sunday in Italy."

The Trump administration appears ready to launch an extended military assault on Iran while the Pentagon amasses an immense strike force in the Middle East despite risks of U.S. combat fatalities and prolonged American entanglement. The arsenal has been assembled for weeks and is awaiting the arrival of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its accompanying warships, with vessels approaching the Strait of Gibraltar that could make an attack possible within days. President Donald Trump offered ambiguous public remarks about imminent action and suggested toppling Iran's supreme leader. It remains unclear whether formal approval for military action has been given, and the Winter Olympics are a scheduling consideration.

Read at The Washington Post