Iran Strikes ‘Likely’ as Trump Seeks Maximum Leverage

Donald Trump has said it will be clear within “probably 10 days” whether he can reach a nuclear deal with Iran, as the US military buildup in the Middle East intensifies with the impending arrival of a second carrier strike group.

The U.S. president, speaking at the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace in Washington DC, insisted Iran could not have a nuclear weapon and emphasised that “bad things will happen” if the country continued “to threaten regional stability”.

…

“I think this is very likely,” Michael Makovsky, president and chief executive of the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, which backs military action against Iran, said of a potential strike. “I’ve been talking to very, very senior officials; I get a sense that that’s where they’re heading.”

He added: “I don’t think you’re bringing all those assets to the region, just for a Midnight Hammer-type of event. You’re talking about, more likely, a longer campaign. I think Trump really means it.”

…

Read the full article in The Hill.