reuters.com
www.reuters.com
  • Trump says it has been difficult to make a deal with Iran
  • US fully expects Iran to retaliate, official says
  • A sustained campaign carries more risk to US forces, broader Middle East

WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The U.S. military is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if President Donald Trump orders an attack, two U.S. officials told Reuters, in what could become a far more serious conflict than previously seen between the countries.

The disclosure by the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the planning, raises the stakes for the diplomacy underway between the United States and Iran.

U.S. and Iranian diplomats held talks in Oman last week in an effort to revive diplomacy over Tehran’s nuclear program, after Trump amassed military forces in the region, raising fears of new military action.

U.S. officials said on Friday the Pentagon was sending an additional aircraft carrier to the Middle East, adding thousands more troops along with fighter aircraft, guided-missile destroyers and other firepower capable of waging attacks and defending against them.

Trump, speaking to U.S. troops on Friday at a base in North Carolina, said it had “been difficult to make a deal” with Iran.

“Sometimes you have to have fear. That’s the only thing that really will get the situation taken care of,” Trump said.

  • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.todayEnglish
    101·
    8 hours ago

    So MAGAs, let’s check the scoreboard:

    • America First, no foreign entanglements. Didn’t realize that there were exceptions for Venezuela, Iran, Greenland, Colombia, Mexico, Canada, NATO, etc

    • Lower Prices on Day 1 - Past day 365, and prices are way up, and rising fast.

    • Epstein Files - We’re going to expose all those Democratic perverts…oh wait, they’re all MAGAs. Never mind, nothing to see here, move along…

    • Deport Illegal Immigrant Criminals - Including innocent people, children, families, veterans, farm workers, etc. with no due process. If they can deny due process to them, they can deny it to YOU.

    • Making America safer - By releasing poorly trained Death Squads into our streets, breaking out into spontaneous firing squads against innocent citizens.

    So why are you still in? Is it the mind-boggling corruption? Or the constant barrage of obvious lies and gaslighting? Is it the destruction of our White House and Monuments? Is it the destruction of our influence around the world? Is it the virtuosic incompetence?

    Is it the pants-shitting press conferences? Because I’ll admit that I do enjoy those myself (Listen for the audible shart at :33, and watch the lady in green’s reaction as staffers frantically clear the room, almost in a panic).

    I’ll bet it’s the Pedophilia. The one thing MAGA can be counted on for, is to protect and defend pedophiles.

    Thats why MAGAs are all Pedophiles.

    • hector@lemmy.todayEnglish
      2·
      6 hours ago

      Your America First scorecard left out yemen, syria, lebanon, gaza, the west bank, and Iran.

      That we just indirectly attacked syria and gaza and the west bank and lebanon doesn’t change the fact that we attacked them through Israel.

      The president is a shell of himself, the party is leading him around by the hand, betraying his America first promises. As we all knew he would, but alienating his america first fans that are not party stalwarts and supported him because he promised change and appeared to be fighting the corrupt system.

      Now the president doesn’t think he needs them, as much as he thinks at all in his dotage. He is on his way out, he can’t stay awake when the cameras are rolling. The party is as arrogant as ever, expecting to rig elections just as the democrats arrogantly spite the left into supporting them because they aren’t the other guy.