The United States is closer to military conflict with Iran than most Americans realize, and a massive weeks-long campaign could “begin very soon,” Axios reported on Wednesday.
Such a conflict would likely involve an operation more like a war than the single-day operation in Venezuela conducted last month, the report cited “sources” as saying. Those same sources told Axios that it would likely be a joint US-Israeli campaign with a broader scope than the 12-day war last June.
Vice President JD Vance has also addressed the talks in an interview with Fox News, saying that while Trump wants a deal, he could decide that diplomacy has “reached its natural end.”
“We would very much like, as the President has said, to resolve this through a conversation and a diplomatic negotiation,” Vance said, “but the President has all options on the table.”
The US has also been steadily building up its forces within the region. More than 10 F-22 fighter jets have been deployed to the Middle East. The last time they arrived in the region was just days before Operation Midnight Hammer. The largest aircraft carrier in the US Navy, the USS Gerald R. Ford, is also on its way to the Middle East.
Axios reported that “all signs point to [Trump] pulling the trigger if talks fail.”
While some US sources told Axios that the US might need more time to prepare, including Senator Lindsey Graham, who said strikes could be weeks away, others disagree.
“The boss is getting fed up. Some people around him warn against going to war with Iran, but I think there is 90% chance we see kinetic action in the next few weeks,” one Trump adviser told Axios.
US officials claimed that Iran has two weeks to submit a detailed proposal. Some are drawing parallels between June, when a two-week window was set for Trump to decide between continuing talks and military action three days before launching Operation Midnight Hammer.
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.