The Trump administration was preparing Friday for a fresh round of military strikes against Iran, even as no final decision had been reached by Friday afternoon. The move put the United States on edge for a possible escalation just as the White House was pressing Tehran to answer a new proposal on ending the nearly three-month war.
Some members of the U.S. military and intelligence community canceled Memorial Day weekend plans as the prospect of strikes hardened. Defense and intelligence officials also began updating recall rosters for U.S. installations overseas, while tranches of troops stationed in the Middle East were rotating out of theater. The preparations suggested the administration was treating the possibility of action as more than a contingency, even though the president had not yet signed off.
At the center of the standoff is a U.S. proposal sent to Iran on Wednesday, accompanied by a warning that rejecting the final offer would mean military strikes would resume. Tehran is reviewing the terms, and a response is expected to be transmitted via Pakistan, which has been serving as an intermediary between Washington and Tehran. The plan came as the two countries have largely refrained from hitting each other since a temporary ceasefire began in early April.
Trump said Friday that “Iran is dying to make a deal,” and on Wednesday he said he was prepared to give Tehran “a couple of days” to respond. He also said he was “pretty impressed” by the latest exchange, while making clear he was keeping pressure on the Iranian side. The White House said in a statement from Anna Kelly that the president had “made his redlines abundantly clear: Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon, and they cannot keep their enriched uranium.” Kelly added that “The President always maintains all options at all times, and it is the job of the Pentagon to be ready to execute any decision the Commander-in-Chief could make,” and said, “The President has been clear about the consequences if Iran fails to make a deal.”
Rubio said the administration expected to receive a reply through the Pakistani field marshal and described the president as preferring diplomacy to strikes. He also referred to discussions from meetings in Sweden with NATO members about reopening the Strait of Hormuz through military force if Iran would not do so itself, calling that “Plan B.” The remarks underscored how quickly the talks had moved from a narrow diplomatic exchange to a broader warning about regional pressure points.
The conflict has already rattled energy markets and helped drive fuel prices higher, and U.S. officials have been reducing the military footprint in the Middle East amid concern about possible Iranian retaliation. Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has warned that further strikes by the United States or Israel could widen the conflict beyond the Middle East, a reminder that any decision in Washington could quickly spill far beyond the two countries now waiting on each other’s next move.
