Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei sits “at the very centre” of overwhelming American firepower now gathering around Iran, retired US Navy admiral James G Stavridis has said.
The former NATO Supreme Allied Commander warned that the current US military buildup in the Middle East is like “Dante's inferno”, with a scale and strategy equal to that of the 2003 war in Iraq and the 1990-91 Persian Gulf conflict.
“You started with a comparison to 2003, and it's also like the 1990 Persian Gulf War I,” Stavridis told CNN. “This is a huge amount of US firepower. Think of it from the outside in, in concentric rings descending like Dante's Inferno. On the outer rings are strategic bombers, capable of flying all the way from the United States or operating from other bases.”
‘Dante's Inferno' is a 14th-century poem by Dante Alighieri that describes Hell as nine circles, each representing increasingly severe punishments.
Inside that perimeter, the admiral said, are two aircraft carriers, one in the northern Indian Ocean, the other near Israel, close to Syria, each with roughly 80 combat aircraft, including F-35s and F/A-18 Hornets. Further inward, the US has Tomahawk missiles, drones, cyber capabilities, and land-based Air Force aircraft at regional bases, he added.
“At the very centre,” Stavridis said, “is Ayatollah Khamenei. I agree with President Trump. He would be wise to negotiate.”
“You can send drones in, you can use cyber, and of course, there's land-based aircraft, air force aircraft at many of those bases you show there. So again, think of it like Dante's Inferno descending,” Stavridis said.
US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the world will know “over the next, probably, 10 days” whether diplomacy with Iran succeeds or America takes military action.
US officials suspect Iran is nearing nuclear weapons capability, an allegation Tehran denies. Recent talks in Switzerland have shown limited progress.
US officials say Trump has told advisers that if diplomacy or a limited strike doesn't stop Iran's nuclear programme, he may consider targeting the Revolutionary Guard, nuclear sites, and missile programmes to pressure the country's leadership.
Iran has accused the US of risking a crisis with its military buildup and deadlines, saying Washington's comments suggest a real threat of military aggression and that any attack would be met with “decisive” retaliation. The US wants Iran to give up its ability to produce nuclear weapons while limiting its nuclear programme strictly to peaceful purposes.
Iran insists it wants a deal that respects its sovereign right to peaceful nuclear enrichment, as per Reuters.
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