"Kinetic Action" In Next Few Weeks? US Preps For Iran Military Ops: Report

The United States could be closer to launching a full-scale attack in the Middle East than most Americans think. A report on Axios citing sources mentions that a US military operation in Iran would be a "massive, weeks-long campaign" and not a short, targeted one like the one in Venezuela.

90 Per Cent Chance Of Military Action In Two-Weeks

A Trump advisor told the publication that there is a 90 per cent chance of a military action being launched in the next few weeks. "The boss is getting fed up. Some people around him warn him against going to war with Iran, but I think there is 90% chance we see kinetic action in the next few weeks," the advisor said.

The operation is likely to be a joint US-Israel campaign that will be broader than the last 12-day strike on Iran in June and could threaten the Iranian leadership. Moreover, the report states that the war could even impact US President Donald Trump's remaining presidency. Despite it being a high-stakes matter, there has been little public discussion with the Congress.

In January this year, Trump reportedly nearly authorised military strikes against Iran after a deadly crackdown on protesters and escalating tensions over its nuclear programme. Although there had been no strikes, the Trump administration adopted a two-pronged approach - building the military while continuing nuclear talks.

By doing this, the Trump administration expects to display what an operation will look like if a deal is not reached.

On Tuesday, Trump's advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for three hours in Geneva. Even though both sides said that progress was made, the Axios report states that the "gaps" in the talks are wide and US officials are not optimistic about the deal working out.

US Vice President JD Vance told Fox News that there are "red lines" set by Trump that the Iranians are not willing to resolve.

US Military Buildup Near Iran

Meanwhile, the United States military is steadily building its air and naval assets near Iran, even as Tehran officials agreed to return to negotiating with a new proposal in two weeks. Over 50 US fighter jets, including F-35s, F-22s, and F-16s, have moved to West Asia over the last 24 hours, Axios reported.

The US leader has already sent its aircraft carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, to the Arabian Sea at the end of January amid increasing tensions. Later, in the first week of February, the BBC reported that a dozen F-15 fighter jets, an MQ-9 Reaper combat drone, and several A-10C Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft also reached the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan.

The satellite imagery also showed the guided-missile destroyer ship, USS Delbert D Black, was also sailing through the Suez Canal in Egypt from the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, and a US Navy MQ-4C Triton surveillance drone was operating over the Gulf. The presence of an E-11A communications aircraft, a P-8 Poseidon, and an E-3G Sentry surveillance and some reconnaissance planes were also reported in the region earlier. The US has also sent a second aircraft carrier to the region.

US officials have stated that Iran needs to come up with a detailed proposal within two weeks. In June last year, Trump set a two-week window to decide between continuing talks or launching a military attack. However, three days later US attacked Iran.

According to Israeli officers, the government is preparing for a war within days.