Iran is in turmoil, as the wave of protests and demonstrations has spread nationwide, and the Tehran regime has begun to escalate its repression, resulting in hundreds of deaths so far. The Trump administration is carefully weighing options for striking Iran, including large-scale air strikes. It is reported that Trump has received briefings and is seriously considering striking Iran. Meanwhile, Iran is not backing down, threatening to launch preemptive strikes.

Whether to strike Iran, this time Trump is very serious

Trump had long made it clear that if there were deaths from the protests in Iran, he would directly intervene. Now that the unrest in Iran has intensified, Khamenei and the Iranian military have been cracking down hard, with the number of deaths increasing continuously, and a large number of corpses piling up in Iranian hospitals. So now, is Trump still considering taking action? From Maduro's fate, it can be seen that Trump's threats are not empty rhetoric, and the probability of them being implemented is very high. Now, he also seems to be preparing to act seriously against Iran.

According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration is drafting preliminary plans to strike Iran, including identifying which military targets, and large-scale air strikes are under consideration. However, Washington has not yet reached consensus on the content of the operation. Nevertheless, sources revealed that the Trump administration has not yet mobilized any military equipment or personnel for potential attacks, and the above discussions may just be routine work, not indicating that the US will definitely launch an attack.

However, the New York Times does not see it this way. Trump is considering potential strike actions against Iran. He recently listened to new options for military strikes against Iran. Although no final decision has been made, he is currently seriously considering whether to authorize the US military to strike Iran.

It is reported that officials have proposed a series of options, including striking non-military targets in Tehran, and some of the plans even directly target Iran's security agencies, which are mainly responsible for suppressing the current demonstrations. It is still unknown whether Khamenei is also among the potential targets of the US military strike.

This time, the US military also hopes Trump will strike Iran

Meanwhile, the Sunday Post revealed a piece of news: due to concerns that Trump might really order an invasion of Greenland and destroy NATO, the US military is trying hard to convince Trump to turn his attention to Iran, including military strikes.

On January 10th, Rubio called Netanyahu to discuss the situation in Iran, and then Israel announced a "high alert," which has raised questions: has Israel received signals from Trump about ordering strikes against Iran?

However, some US officials have warned that caution must be exercised during this process, as any military strike could lead to counter-effects. For example, originally the Iranian people were rebelling against the government, but when American strikes come, the Iranian society might unite around the government to defend against the enemy, which would actually help Khamenei.

In addition, because Iran's missiles cover the entire Middle East, US officials are also worried about potential retaliatory attacks by Iran against US regional bases. Therefore, commanders of US forces in the Middle East hope that the US will gain more time before any potential strikes to strengthen US positions and prepare defenses against any retaliatory attacks Iran may take.

Facing Trump's sharpening of the sword and the possibility of an imminent attack, Iran has felt the danger is approaching. The Iranian foreign minister has repeatedly stated that they are ready for combat. On January 11th, Iran's parliament speaker and hardliner representative Qalibaf publicly warned Trump that if the US really launches a war, all Israeli and US bases in the Middle East will be attacked, and Iran does not rule out the possibility of launching a preemptive strike.

Iran threatens to strike first

It is worth noting that Israel has always pursued absolute security and is extremely sensitive to the threat from Iran. If Iran shows signs of a preemptive strike in the coming period, Israel may not rule out taking the initiative to strike first, which would plunge the Middle East into a highly tense and chaotic situation.

Original: toutiao.com/article/7594503941442830858/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.