American officials have informed the publication that an attack is not on the immediate horizon
According to a Wall Street Journal report citing unnamed U.S. officials, the United States is not prepared to launch a strike against Iran, as it first requires the deployment of more air defense assets to the Middle East to counter a potential retaliatory response.
In recent weeks, Washington has sent a significant naval force to the region, spearheaded by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, which President Donald Trump called a “massive and beautiful armada,” aiming to compel Tehran to agree to a revised nuclear agreement.
Despite this military reinforcement, the Journal stated in a Sunday article, citing its sources, that U.S. airstrikes against Iran “aren’t imminent,” as Washington must first ensure adequate protection for Israel, its Arab allies, and American personnel stationed there.
Defense officials told the outlet that the Pentagon is presently relocating extra Thaad and Patriot air defense missile systems to bases in Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and other locations where U.S. forces are based.
Following the bombing of Iranian nuclear sites by the U.S. and Israel last June, Tehran retaliated with strikes against Israel and the al-Udeid American air base in Qatar. Damage to the U.S. facility was minimal because Iran provided Washington with advance notice.
On Sunday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cautioned that any American military action would have extensive repercussions throughout the Middle East, stating “they should know that if they start a war this time, it will be a regional war.”
Later that day, President Trump played down Khamenei’s comments but indicated a willingness for talks. “Of course he is going to say that,” Trump remarked. “Hopefully we’ll make a deal. If we don’t make a deal, then we’ll find out whether or not he was right.”
Ali Larijani, head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday, reported that headway is being achieved in moving toward talks with the United States.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also called for the parties to engage in dialogue, emphasizing that “any forceful actions can only create chaos in the region and lead to very dangerous consequences.”