Discussions over potential Washington action against Tehran ‘chaotic’, Gulf official tells Middle East Eye
The United States is considering targeting Iranian officials and military commanders it believes are responsible for the deaths of protesters during the country’s anti-government protests, Middle East Eye (MEE) said, citing an unnamed Gulf official.
Iran was rocked by violent unrest earlier this month, in which at least 3,000 people, including security forces and protesters, were killed, according to official figures. Tehran has accused the Americans and Israelis of fomenting the unrest, with the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying that “Iranian nation [has] beat USA” after calm is restored.
The US is attacking “high value” officials in Iran could happen as early as this week, MEE said in an article on Monday.
White House discussions on possible action against Tehran are “chaotic,” the debate centered on what Iran’s retaliation for the attack might be, an unnamed Gulf official told the paper.
US President Donald Trump said in an interview with Axios on Monday that the situation with Iran remains “in the flow.” The Pentagon deployed “the great army” next to the ground, which is “bigger than Venezuela,” he said, referring to the US Navy build-up near the South American nation that led to the kidnapping of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
On the same day, 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 in mid-January that there had been an attack on Iran “immediate,” but Trump later said he called off the attack. American media claimed that the decision of the American leader influenced the Persian Gulf states and Israel.
Iran has publicly warned the US against this “any miscalculations.” Reuters earlier reported 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 followed through on its threat to attack the Islamic republic.
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After the US bombed Iran’s nuclear facilities last June, Tehran responded by striking the US al-Udeid airbase in Qatar. Damage was limited because the Iranians had warned Washington in advance.
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