Trump Readies Major Offensive Against Iran as US Military Presence in the Middle East Soars

DONALD Trump could unleash a debilitating “weeks-long blitz” on Iran in the next few days with his imposing military poised to strike.

The White House has reportedly been briefed that bombs could drop as early as this weekend with a significant number of US warships and attack jets now massing in the region.

Donald Trump could unleash a debilitating ‘weeks-long blitz’ on Iran in the next few days with his imposing military poised to strikeCredit: Reuters The USS Abraham Lincoln leads its strike group during an exercise in the Arabian Sea as Trump continues to build up a military presence near to IranCredit: Reuters

A source told CNN : “He [Trump] is spending a lot of time thinking about this.”

A decision on if the US will strike is yet to be officially made with Trump still hoping Iran agree to a nuclear deal which would help pave the way to temporary peace.

The US president has even been arguing both for and against launching strikes, the source added.

His top team of national security officials met on Wednesday in the White House Situation Room to discuss Iran, a person familiar with the meeting said.

Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law also updated the president on their indirect talks with Iran from a day earlier.

After three-and-a-half hours of discussions there remained no major breakthrough on a US-Iran deal.

Tehran’s top negotiator said both sides agreed upon a “set of guiding principles,” to which an American official responded: “There are still a lot of details to discuss.”

Speaking yesterday, White House press secretary made it clear Trump favours diplomacy over aggression.

She went on to tell reporters: “There’s many reasons and arguments that one could make for a strike against Iran.

“Iran would be very wise to make a deal with President Trump and with his administration.”

If Trump was to launch strikes then he would likely wait for the arrival of his .

The mighty USS Gerald R. Ford is on its way to – putting two full carrier battle groups within reach of Tehran.

Sources say the USS Gerald R. Ford is on track to arrive in the Middle East by the weekend.

It would join up with a dozen warships and hundreds of fighter jets equipped with advanced air defence systems already stationed near to Iran.

More firepower is also believed to be on the way with high-tech weapon systems and ammunition being shipped to American bases in the Middle East across the last 24 hours.

Around 85 fuel tankers, over 170 cargo planes and dozens of fighter jets have left bases in the US and Europe in recent days, according to Military Air Tracking Alliance data.

Trump’s would be able to smash Iran’s deepest nuclear base under a peak dubbed Pickaxe mountain, experts believe.

When Trump deployed bunker buster bombs on Iran last year he only targeted nuclear sites.

A second round of strikes may have involving a back and forth conflict, two US officials told Reuters.

Tyrant Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened to sink US warships lurking in the Persian Gulf yesterday in another escalation of tensions in the regionCredit: Getty Iranian troops standing at attention during a military drill in the Persian Gulf as tensions riseCredit: Shutterstock Editorial A missile is launched during an exercise in southern IranCredit: Reuters

A Trump campaign would see the objective of creating a major regime change by ousting the Ayatollah, sources told Axios.

The US would reportedly brief Israel on any plans at least two days prior so Benjamin Netanyahu can arrange joint military operations.

It all comes as for the first time since the eighties, hitting back at US threats.

Tyrant Ayatollah Ali Khamenei lurking in the Persian Gulf yesterday in another escalation of tensions in the region.

Khamenei warned the US that “the strongest army in the world might sometimes receive such a slap that it cannot get back on its feet”.

He went on to threaten to sink US warships “to the bottom of the sea”.

The Ayatollah said: “They constantly say we have sent an aircraft carrier towards Iran.

“Very well, an aircraft carrier is certainly a dangerous machine, but more dangerous than the carrier is the weapon that can send it to the bottom of the sea.”

It is thought that the dictator is posturing in an effort to appease a restless crowd in Tehran as the nation continues to recover from days of deadly protest crackdowns.