CENTCOM chief to brief Trump on new plans for military action against Iran — report |
US President Donald Trump was slated to receive a briefing on new plans for potential military action in Iran on Thursday from the leader of the US Central Command, Adm. Bradley Cooper, Axios reported, also on Thursday.
Three unidentified sources with knowledge of the matter told the outlet that CENTCOM has drawn up plans for a “short and powerful” series of strikes on Iranian targets, with the aim of pressuring Iran to give ground in negotiations.
One of the sources said other options being readied included a takeover of parts of the Strait of Hormuz to reopen it to commercial shipping, in an operation possibly involving ground forces.
The White House and the US Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Israel and the US launched their campaign against Iran on February 28 in a bid to destabilize the regime and destroy its nuclear and ballistic missile capacities. Iran responded with missile and drone strikes on Israel and on Gulf states hosting US bases.
A fragile ceasefire was reached three weeks ago, but the sides have remained far apart in their positions, and talks to resolve the conflict have stalled.
Trump has previously threatened to destroy Iran’s civilian infrastructure. International law experts say such strikes may amount to war crimes. The 1949 Geneva Conventions on humanitarian conduct in war prohibit attacks on sites considered essential for civilians.
The Iran war, which remains unpopular in the US, has shaken markets and raised oil prices. Iran has blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for about 20 percent of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, bringing traffic to a trickle. The US, in response, is trying to squeeze Iran’s oil exports with a naval blockade of Iranian ports.
Washington hopes to make Iran more flexible at the negotiating table on nuclear issues, Axios reported.
Another option that might come up in the briefing is a special forces operation to snag Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, Axios said.
The majority of Iran’s highly enriched uranium is likely still buried at its Isfahan nuclear complex, which was bombarded by airstrikes last year and has faced further but less intense attacks in this year’s war, the head of the UN nuclear agency told The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Trump has cited Iran’s nuclear program as an imminent threat. Tehran, which is avowed to the destruction of Israel, denies seeking nuclear weapons but says it has the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. However, Iran has enriched uranium to a level that is a short technical step from weapons-grade, and that the UN nuclear watchdog and Western experts say has no civilian purpose.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine was also expected to attend Thursday’s briefing, Axios reported.
Two of the sources said that Trump views the US blockade on Iran’s ports as the main method to pressure Iran in negotiations, but would use military force if Tehran doesn’t give in.
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said Thursday that the US naval blockade on Iranian ports will deepen disruptions in the Gulf and fail to achieve its targets.
“Any attempt to impose a maritime blockade or restrictions is contrary to international law… and is doomed to fail,” Pezeshkian said in a statement.
He added that such measures would “not only fail to enhance regional security, but are in fact a source of tension and a disruption to lasting stability in the Persian Gulf.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s administration is seeking the participation of other countries to form an international coalition to restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, according to a State Department cable seen by Reuters.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio approved the creation of the Maritime Freedom Construct (MFC), the cable dated April 28 said, which it described as a joint initiative by the State Department and the Pentagon.
“The MFC constitutes a critical first step in the establishment of a post-conflict maritime security architecture for the Middle East. This framework is essential to ensuring long-term energy security, protecting critical maritime infrastructure, and maintaining navigational rights and freedoms in vital sea lanes,” the cable said.
The component of the initiative led by the State Department would serve as the diplomatic hub between partner countries and the shipping industry, while the Pentagon component operating out of CENTCOM headquarters in Florida would coordinate real-time maritime traffic and communicate directly with vessels transiting the strait, the cable said.
The story was first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday.
US embassies should present the initiative orally to partner nations by May 1, but not to Russia, China, Belarus, Cuba, and “other US adversaries,” said the cable.
Participation could be in the form of diplomacy, information sharing, sanctions enforcement, naval presence, or other forms of support, it said.
“We welcome all levels of engagement and do not expect your country to shift naval assets and resources away from existing regional maritime constructs and organizations,” the cable said.
“The MFC is distinct from the president’s Maximum Pressure campaign and from ongoing negotiations.”
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