US President Donald Trump is expected to receive a briefing today on new plans for potential military action against Iran from commanders , starting with Admiral Brad Cooper, head of Centcom, confirming that the tycoon is seriously considering resuming military action to break the negotiating stalemate and deliver a final blow before ending the war.
Among the possibilities, Axios reports based on multiple sources, are the conquest of part of the Strait of Hormuz to reopen it to commercial navigation, a blitz to secure Iranian highly enriched uranium and "short and powerful" attacks .
According to sources, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, is also expected to attend the briefing. And, looking back, Cooper held a similar briefing with Trump on February 26, two days before the United States and Israel launched war against Iran. A source close to the tycoon said that that briefing contributed to Trump's decision to unleash the conflict.
Centcom, the US military command covering the Middle East, has prepared a plan for a series of "short, powerful" strikes against Iran, likely including infrastructure targets, in the hope of breaking the stalemate in negotiations. The hope, Axios noted, is that Iran will return to the negotiating table and show greater flexibility on the nuclear issue .
Another plan focuses on seizing part of the Strait of Hormuz and reopening it to commercial shipping, a source said, with an initiative that could include ground forces. Another option, already discussed in the past and likely to emerge in the briefing, is a special forces operation to secure Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
Yesterday, Trump told Axios that he believes the naval blockade against Iran is "a little more effective than bombing." The tycoon currently sees the blockade as the main negotiating tool with Tehran, but he would consider military action if Iran doesn't yield.
US planners are also considering the possibility of Iran taking military action against US forces in the region in retaliation for the blockade .
(Unioneonline)