Senior officials in the Trump administration have reportedly outlined the next phase of policy toward Iran should diplomatic negotiations fail to restart.
The current ceasefire, which President Trump reportedly agreed to extend, is expected by regional reports to last only several more days. If no diplomatic breakthrough is reached, the next step would be a major military strike described as significantly more forceful than previous U.S. operations against Iran.
Such an operation would reportedly last several days, after which military actions against Iran would conclude.
The only scenario likely to prevent further escalation would be a substantial softening of Iranian positions regarding its nuclear program. At present, however, officials reportedly believe Iran’s leadership has shown no intention of making meaningful concessions.
Iranian state-affiliated media on Wednesday released videos mocking the way President Trump has handled contacts with Tehran. The videos reportedly claimed that Iran has never negotiated directly with President Trump.
In addition, despite President Trump’s reported willingness to send Vice President J.D. Vance for talks in Islamabad, Iranian representatives are said to have no intention of attending.
President Trump has thus far refrained from striking Iran’s energy infrastructure because of the expected impact such action could have on global oil prices.
However, officials in both Israel and the United States reportedly believe that, to complete military objectives, any future campaign would need to target the infrastructure that enables the Iranian regime to function.
As a result, absent an unexpected diplomatic shift, another joint U.S.-Israeli strike focused on strategic national infrastructure is being described as increasingly likely. President Trump has repeatedly warned that Iran would face severe consequences if it refused to meet his demands.
(YWN World headquarters – NYC)
