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US is getting closer to war with Iran, sources warn
The United States‘ stand-off with Iran is feared to be close to breaking out into a full-scale war in the Middle East.
A military operation could last several weeks and have a powerful impact on the region, sources have told Axios.
It comes as tensions continue to grow between the US and Iran, after the two countries held indirect nuclear talks in Geneva on Tuesday.
Before the talks, Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: “I don’t think they want the consequences of not making a deal.”
A Trump adviser told Axios: “The boss is getting fed up. Some people around him warn him against going to war with Iran, but I think there is 90 per cent chance we see kinetic action in the next few weeks.”
The Trump administration threatened to take fresh military action against Iran in January over its nuclear programme and demanded that it make a deal with the US.
It followed Israel’s 12-day war with Iran in June, in which the US bombed the country’s nuclear sites.
Last month, President Trump said a “massive armada” was on the way and urged the regime to stop the killing of thousands of protesters.
Sources told Axios that a military operation would likely be much bigger than the US and Israel’s attack last year, and would have massive implications for the remainder of President Trump’s leadership.
The US has built up a large military presence in the region, which includes two aircraft carriers, a dozen warships, hundreds of fighter jets and multiple air defence systems.
The large military build-up will likely mean the president won’t withdraw from the region until Iran makes major concessions on its nuclear programme.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, threatened to sink any American aircraft carriers sent to the Middle East.
Two Israeli officials said Israel’s government was preparing for a scenario of war within days, Axios said. However, US sources said the Trump administration may need longer.
Officials told Reuters the US military was getting ready for weeks-long operations in case President Trump ordered an attack.
US troops withdrew from bases in Syria last week, possibly indicating its military was gearing up to prepare for an Iranian response to an attack.
It comes as Mr Trump criticised Sir Keir Starmer for his Chagos Islands deal on Wednesday, saying that if Iran did not strike a deal with the US, it may need to use Diego Garcia island, where a US-UK military base sits.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner and Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi began negotiations on Tuesday in Geneva.
Officials stated Iran would have to come back with a detailed proposal for the US in two weeks.
Mr Araghchi said the two countries had reached an understanding on “guiding principles” and that a path to agreement had begun.
But Ayatollah Khamenei later warned President Trump that “the strongest army in the world can sometimes be slapped so hard it cannot get up”, according to Iranian media.