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WASHINGTON: Senior US officials are preparing for the possibility of a strike on Iran in the coming days, according to people familiar with the matter, a sign that Washington is assembling the infrastructure to directly enter a conflict with Tehran.
The situation is still evolving and could change, said the people, who requested anonymity to discuss private talks.
Some of the people pointed to potential plans for a weekend strike.
Top leaders at a handful of federal agencies have also begun getting ready for an attack, one person said.
President Donald Trump has for days publicly mused about calling for such a strike on Iran, which has been engaged in a war with Israel for nearly a week.
Trump told reporters at the White House yesterday he has “ideas as to what to do” and that he prefers to make the “final decision one second before it’s due” because the situation in the Middle East is fluid.
A few hours earlier Trump said, “I may do it. I may not do it,” when asked if he was moving closer to attacking Iran.
A White House official said that all options remain on the table.
Asian stocks extended declines following the news of the preparations, with a gauge of regional equities sliding as much as 0.7%.
The president’s openness to war is a reversal from his public remarks a week ago when Trump was urging for diplomatic talks to reach a nuclear disarmament deal with Iran.
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