US media outlets have revealed that President Donald Trump is seriously considering issuing authorisation for an attack on Iran.
Bloomberg quoted a White House official as saying that Trump has been briefed on a range of options for launching military strikes in Iran, including against civilian sites, and that he is seriously weighing the issuance of an authorisation to carry out an attack.
Separately, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing officials, that Trump will receive a briefing next Tuesday on specific options for responding to the protests in Iran.
The newspaper said the meeting will include senior administration officials to discuss next steps, which may involve boosting anti-government sources online, carrying out covert cyber strikes against Iranian military and civilian sites, imposing further sanctions on the regime, and launching military strikes.
Sources explained that the secretaries of state and defence, along with the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will take part in Tuesday’s meeting. They noted that no final decision by Trump on Iran is expected at the meeting, as deliberations remain at an early stage.
The Wall Street Journal also revealed that memoranda were sent to government agencies seeking their views on specific responses, including potential military targets and economic options, ahead of Trump’s meeting. It noted that sending Starlink service terminals to Iran is among the options under discussion.
Earlier, the website Axios quoted US officials as saying that Trump is examining several options to support protests in Iran and weaken the regime.
One US official told the site that “all options are on the table for President Trump, but no decision has been made yet”, while another said that discussions included military strikes, though most of the options currently presented to the president are “not military”. Both officials acknowledged the difficulty of predicting which option Trump will ultimately choose.
Earlier, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps called on “the people to take part in a massive demonstration across Iran tomorrow to deliver a strong blow to Washington and Tel Aviv”, according to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.
Tasnim News Agency reported that a statement by the Guard said that “the sedition and crimes committed by rioters and terrorists are an extension of the 12-day war”.
The agency also reported that the Iranian capital, Tehran, will witness mass rallies at Enghelab Square in central Tehran at 2 pm, bringing together various segments of citizens and the families of martyrs, especially the families of those killed in recent events, to denounce the crimes of armed terrorists and saboteurs.
At the same time, all provinces and their centres will witness similar demonstrations, according to the agency.
Tasnim also quoted an intelligence source in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as saying that two spies affiliated with the Israeli Mossad were arrested in Khorasan.
The source said the detainees played a role in organising widespread riots and violence, and were arrested in possession of communication and espionage equipment, weapons, and ammunition.
