Trump Weighing An ‘Initial Limited Military Strike on Iran,’ WSJ Report

(Ben Liebenberg via AP)

President Donald Trump is “weighing an initial limited military strike on Iran,” reported the Wall Street Journal on Thursday afternoon amid rampant speculation of an imminent U.S. attack.

The WSJ added that the “limited” strike would be used as an additional threat to force Iran “to meet his demands for a nuclear deal, a first step that would be designed to pressure Tehran into an agreement but fall short of a full-scale attack that could inspire a major retaliation.”

“Now, we may have to take it a step further — or we may not. Maybe we’re going to make a deal,” Trump said during remarks earlier in the day on Thursday, adding, “You’re going to be finding out over the next, probably 10 days.”

CBS reported on Wednesday evening that Trump has been told “the military is ready for potential strikes on Iran as soon as this weekend, but the timeline for any action is likely to extend beyond Saturday or Sunday.” A separate Wall Street Journal detailed the mass movement of U.S. troops into the Middle East, calling it the largest deployment of airpower to the region since the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.

The WSJ’s Alexander Ward further explained what the “limited strike” scenario might look like. “The opening assault, which if authorized could come within days, would target a few military or government sites, people familiar with the matter said. If Iran still refused to comply with Trump’s directive to end its nuclear enrichment, the U.S. would respond with a broad campaign against regime facilities—potentially aimed at toppling the Tehran regime,” Ward reported.

The report signals that Trump may still not yet be prepared for a full-scale war with Iran over its nuclear program. Ward noted, however, that the White House has been focused on a larger campaign, writing, “It couldn’t be determined how seriously Trump is considering the option after weeks of deliberations, though senior aides have repeatedly presented it to him. Discussions of late have focused more on larger-scale campaigns, officials said.”

This is a developing story and has been updated.

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