Trump is threatening attacks on Iran again. What the media is writing
US President Donald Trump has said that Iran does not have time to conclude a nuclear deal. He recalled the arrival of naval forces in the region, and sources claim that the head of the White House is considering options for striking the Islamic Republic. What the media write about the escalation around Iran is in the Izvestia digest.
NBC News: Trump warns Iran about expiration of time for nuclear deal
On January 28, Trump warned that Iran was running out of time to conclude a nuclear deal and called on the Islamic Republic to negotiate, threatening a clash with a "huge armada" of American warships. Trump said the fleet, led by the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, is larger than the one he sent to Venezuela, referring to its naval blockade to prevent the exit of sanctioned oil tankers.
NBC News
"As in the case of Venezuela, he is ready, willing and able to carry out his mission quickly, if necessary quickly and with violence," Trump said in a message on Truth Social, adding that the fleet "moves quickly, with great power, enthusiasm and determination."
Earlier, on January 23, Trump warned for the first time that the American "armada" was heading for Iran. He did not mention the protests in the republic, because of which he had allowed attacks on the country in the past. However, he warned that the next attack would be "much worse" than the US bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities last summer.
CNN: Trump is considering a strike on Iran
Trump is considering launching a new major strike against Iran after preliminary talks between Washington and Tehran on limiting the republic's nuclear program and ballistic missile production failed. Trump's latest threats have caused outrage in Tehran, which has promised to respond immediately to any U.S. military action, and one of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's top advisers has threatened to attack Israel if an attack takes place.
CNN
This is a rapid reorientation of the US administration's publicly stated goals regarding Iran, and it comes just weeks after Trump seriously considered military action, which he presented as a potential aid to nationwide protests in Iran. The protesters faced a brutal crackdown by the security forces, which led to hundreds of killings.
Sources said that Trump is now considering various options, including airstrikes against Iranian leaders and security personnel, as well as strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities and government institutions. Trump has not yet made a final decision on further actions, but he believes that his military capabilities have expanded compared to the beginning of the month, since the US aircraft carrier strike group is in the region.
Financial Times: The United States is building up military power near Iran
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, one of 11 American aircraft carriers, entered the waters of the Middle East this week after an 11-day passage from the South China Sea. His arrival underscores Trump's increasingly frequent threats to strike Iran for the second time in less than a year. On Monday, the ship was escorted by three guided missile destroyers, part of the "beautiful armada" that the US president sent to the shores of Iran. This is the largest concentration of US military forces in the region since B-2 bombers dropped 13.5-ton bombs on three nuclear facilities of the republic in June last year.
Financial Times
"It looks like the U.S. is planning to use military force, both offensively and defensively," said Seth Jones, a former U.S. Pentagon and special operations official. "What's less clear is the objectives." There are already between 30 and 40 thousand US military personnel in the region, including five air wings — command units consisting of about 70 aircraft — in five countries, as well as five warships, including two destroyers, and air defense systems.
The USS Abraham Lincoln has an air wing consisting of dozens of aircraft and helicopters, including F-18 and F-35 fighter jets, as well as EA-18 Growler electronic warfare aircraft. The carrier strike group delivered about 5,000 additional troops and three destroyers equipped with Tomahawk missiles and air defense systems to the region. According to the American official, in recent days, the United States has sent a dozen F-15 fighter jets to the Middle East, as well as additional THAAD and Patriot missile defense systems to protect American troops and allied forces from any retaliatory actions from Iran.
Reuters: Trump wants to provoke new protests in Iran
Trump is considering various options against Iran, including targeted strikes against security forces and leaders to inspire the protesters, multiple sources said. Two sources in the United States familiar with the discussions said that Trump wants to create conditions for "regime change."
Reuters
According to them, to do this, he was considering options for attacking commanders and institutions that Washington considers responsible for the violence in order to give the protesters confidence that they will be able to seize government and security buildings. One of the American sources said that among the options discussed by Trump's aides is also a large-scale strike designed to have long-term consequences, possibly on ballistic missiles capable of reaching US allies in the Middle East, or on uranium enrichment programs.
Israeli and Arab officials say air power alone is not enough to overthrow Iran's religious rulers. Four Arab officials, three Western diplomats and a senior Western source said they were concerned that instead of bringing people to the streets, such strikes could weaken the movement, which is already in a state of shock after the most brutal government crackdown since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
