As Iran stalls, US military strikes risk uncertain outcomes
If Iran’s leaders refuse to negotiate over the Trump administration’s demands, the president may have to choose between strike options that can likely only further degrade its nuclear program — not fully destroy it.
WASHINGTON — As US Navy warships and squadrons of combat aircraft assemble across the Middle East amid President Donald Trump’s demands that Iran relinquish its nuclear program, analysts say Washington likely has few easy military options that would achieve that objective should talks fail.
Iranian officials have publicly rejected Washington’s initial conditions for negotiations, raising the stakes as the White House weighs potential strike options that have been presented by the Pentagon.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Wednesday said the US military is “prepared to deliver whatever this president expects of the War Department.”
But compared with recent US interventions in Venezuela and Yemen, many of the White House's options for Iran are fraught with greater risk, with some raising the possibility of a prolonged and potentially messy confrontation that could have serious consequences for the region, current and former officials familiar with the military’s planning told Al-Monitor.
