US considering precision strikes on ‘high-value’ Iranian officials – media
The US is weighing precision strikes on Iranian officials and military commanders it believes to be responsible for the deaths of demonstrators during the anti-government protests in the country, Middle East Eye (MEE) has reported, citing an unnamed Gulf official.
Iran was rocked by violent riots earlier this month, during which at least 3,000 people were killed, including both security forces and protestors, according to official data. Tehran has blamed Americans and Israelis for instigating the unrest, with the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, declaring that the “Iranian nation [has] defeated the US” after calm was restored.
The US attacks on “high-value” officials in Iran could happen as early as this week, MEE said in an article on Monday.
White House discussions of possible action against Tehran are “chaotic,” with the debate centering on what the Iranian retaliation for the attack could be, an unnamed Gulf official told the outlet.
In an interview with Axios on Monday, US President Donald Trump said that the situation with Iran remains “in flux.” The Pentagon has deployed “a big armada” next to the country, which is “bigger than Venezuela,” he said, referring to the US naval buildup near the South American nation that led to the abduction of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
On the same day, the US Central Command confirmed the arrival of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group in the Middle East from the South China Sea.
Reuters reported mid-January that a strike on Iran was “imminent,” but Trump said later that he had called the attack off. The US media claimed that the US leader’s decision was influenced by the Gulf States and Israel.
Iran has publicly warned the US against “any miscalculations.” Reuters said previously that a senior Iranian official told the agency that Tehran had warned its neighbors that it could target US bases in the Middle East if Washington makes good on its threat to target the Islamic Republic.
After the US bombed the Iranian nuclear facilities last June, Tehran responded by striking the al-Udeid American air base in Qatar. The damage was limited due to the Iranians giving advanced warning to Washington.
