US potential strikes on Iran could target key leaders, say reports
Shafaq News- Washington
US military planning on Iran has reached an advanced stage with options including targeting individuals as part of an attack and even pursuing regime change in Tehran, if ordered by President Donald Trump, Reuters reported on Friday, citing two US officials.
The US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not offer further details on which individuals could be targeted or how the US military could attempt to carry out regime change without a large ground force.
"The 12-day war and Israeli strikes against individual targets really showed the utility of that approach," one of the officials noted, adding that the focus was on those involved in command and control of IRGC forces. Still, the official cautioned that targeting individuals requires additional intelligence resources.
Meanwhile, Trump told reporters he's thinking of a limited military strike on Iran. "I guess I can say I am considering that."
On Friday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected reports that Washington had demanded a complete halt to uranium enrichment as a precondition for a nuclear agreement, while affirming that Tehran had not offered to suspend enrichment activities. In an interview with MSNBC, Araghchi described the latest round of indirect talks with the United States in Geneva as constructive, adding that both sides had agreed on general guiding principles for a potential deal. Technical measures under discussion, he explained, are aimed at ensuring that the program remains peaceful.
Earlier, Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned it could retaliate against US military bases in the region if the US strikes Iranian territory. The US has bases throughout the Middle East, including in Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkiye.
On February 19, US President Donald Trump warned that Iran has a maximum of 15 days to reach a “meaningful deal” in the ongoing negotiations or face “bad things,” as Tehran reiterated its “right to continue uranium enrichment.” Iran and the United States resumed Omani-mediated negotiations earlier this month, launching the first round in Muscat on February 6 before holding the second on February 17 at the residence of the Omani ambassador in Geneva.
