"Calm Before the Storm".. Trump Hints at Strikes Against Iran

SadaNews - President Donald Trump hinted at a renewed military action against Iran in a post on his Truth Social platform.

Trump wrote on the platform: "Calm before the storm," and accompanied the post with a picture of himself with a large storm and warships in the background, which appeared to indicate the proximity of military action against Iran.

Previously, Trump stated that Iran would face a very bad time if a deal was not reached with them.

He explained to the French channel "BFM" that he does not know if a deal with Iran will be reached soon, but he noted that the Iranians are interested in reaching an agreement.

Trump continued: "Iran will face a very bad time if an agreement is not reached."

The "New York Times" revealed earlier, citing officials in the Middle East, that the United States and Israel are conducting intensive preparations for the possibility of resuming military operations against Iran as early as next week, amid rising estimates of the collapse of the diplomatic track.

According to the report, Trump returned from his visit to China to face a decisive decision on returning to carry out military strikes against Iran, following the stalling of what the report termed as "peace councils" in recent weeks.

The newspaper quoted Trump as saying that the latest Iranian proposal is unacceptable, adding: "If I don't like the first sentence, I'll throw it in the trash," reiterating his threat that Tehran "either reaches an agreement or will be destroyed."

The report noted that U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed during a congressional hearing that the U.S. military has "a plan for escalation if necessary," explaining that the "Epic Fury" operation, which was suspended last month, could be resumed within days.

According to military sources, the proposed options include carrying out more intense airstrikes against Revolutionary Guard sites and Iranian military infrastructure, as well as considering a more perilous scenario involving the deployment of special forces inside Iran to seize nuclear materials buried underground, especially at the Isfahan nuclear facility.