As US naval strike force sails near Iran, Trump faces ‘no easy levers’ against Tehran
Analysts evaluate the difficult options of a US air strike, killing of Iran’s top leaders, covert operations and counter-intelligence
With the recent arrival of a US Navy aircraft carrier task force in the Middle East near Iran, President Donald Trump is set to have all the military assets in place needed to launch a war against Tehran by the end of this week.
While a last-minute diplomatic breakthrough is still on Washington’s cards, Trump may soon have to pick one of the plans drawn up by the Pentagon to meet his desired outcomes – none of which have been made public.
Washington has maintained diplomatic backchannels open between US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and through the mediation of Gulf states Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.
In an interview with the Middle East-focused US news site Axios on Monday, Trump highlighted Washington’s leverage in its stand-off against Tehran, with the arrival of the naval strike force.
“We have a big armada next to Iran. Bigger than Venezuela,” he said, referring to the recent US military action resulting in the capture of President Nicolas Maduro.
“But they want to make a deal. I know so. They called on numerous occasions. They want to talk,” he added.