Live updates: US pounds Iranian targets for fifth day, strikes tanker bound for key oil port - EUROPE SAYS
President Donald Trump has been receiving options for expanding themilitary operation in Iran, according to two people familiar with the matter, including during a Situation Room meeting on Tuesday that. . .
President Donald Trump has been receiving options for expanding themilitary operation in Iran, according to two people familiar with the matter, including during a Situation Room meeting on Tuesday that centered on ways to intensify efforts to loosen Iran’s grip on theStrait of Hormuz. Trump has publicly said he intends to strike Iran harder over the coming week, including threats on civilian infrastructure and potentially energy targets. Behind the scenes, he has been discussing various scenarios for future military action with senior officials, hoping to identify ways to pressure Iran into submitting to US demands after existing efforts have failed to bring Tehran to heel. Over the past five days, the US has carried out daily strikes on Iranian positions along the Strait of Hormuz, including Wednesday on tiny Greater Tunb Island in the Strait of Hormuz, which has acted as a base for the Iranian military. Officials said the strikes are intended to degrade Iran’s ability to prevent commercial vessels from transiting the waterway. But destroying targets like missile launchers and radars could also lay the groundwork for the larger US military operations Trump has been mulling, officials said. According to the two officials, Trump is now weighing an operation to take Kharg Island, the critical Iranian export hub, and to bomb underground complexes at Pickaxe Mountain, believed to be connected to Iran’s nuclear program. Read the full story here. Tags:ConflictsIranmiddle eastmiddle east crisisTehran