Donald Trump is reportedly gearing up for new military actions against Iran, despite recent indications of progress in peace negotiations led by Marco Rubio, according to informed sources.
Though a final decision had not been reached by Friday afternoon, several insiders disclosed to CBS News that preparations for strikes were underway.
These sources revealed that key intelligence and defense officials in the administration had joined President Trump in postponing their weekend plans and updating recall lists for U.S. military bases abroad.
In a surprising move, Trump opted out of attending his son Don Jr.’s wedding this weekend, attributing his absence to “government-related circumstances.” Additionally, he canceled a planned golf outing at his Bedminster Golf Club in New Jersey.
The conflict with Iran has largely remained dormant since a temporary ceasefire was established in early April, though a more permanent peace agreement has yet to be achieved.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for a statement.
Rubio spoke days after Trump said he was holding off on a military strike against the Islamic Republic because ‘serious negotiations’ were underway.
Trump has been threatening for weeks that the ceasefire reached in mid-April could end if Iran does not make a deal, with shifting parameters for striking such an agreement.
Donald Trump is preparing to renew strikes on Iran despite Marco Rubio making ‘slight progress’ in peace talks this week, according to reports
Administration intelligence and defense officials joined President Trump in canceling their weekend plans and updating recall rosters for US bases overseas
America’s top diplomat made the comment ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Helsingborg, Sweden, where the military alliance discussed what role it could play in helping police the Strait of Hormuz once the war is over.
Rubio said he did not want to exaggerate the progress, saying there had been ‘a little bit of movement and that’s good.’
Repeated claims of progress have emerged in recent weeks but a deal has stayed out of reach.
Trump has repeatedly set deadlines for Tehran and then backed off. But he has also previously indicated he would hold off on military action to allow talks to play out, only to turn around and launch strikes.
That happened at the war’s outset , when he ordered strikes in late February shortly after indicating he would let talks play out.
The president said he called off attacks on Iran this week at the request of allies in the Middle East.
In a renewed push for a peace agreement, Pakistan’s top army officer arrived Friday in Tehran for talks with Iranian leaders, Pakistani officials and the military confirmed. It is the third round of meetings between Pakistani and Iranian officials in recent days.
Field Marshal Asim Munir will be joined by Pakistan´s interior minister, who has already met with Iranian leaders in Tehran twice this week. Pakistan has sought a deal between Iran and the US since Munir facilitated face-to-face talks between the two countries in Islamabad last month.
The war on Iran has gone mostly quiet since early April when a temporary ceasefire was agreed but they have yet to produce a more lasting peace
Qatar also sent a delegation to Tehran, according to a regional official who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks.
The delegation is working in coordination with other countries, including Egypt, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, the official said.
Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for the shipment of oil, gas, fertilizer and other petroleum products.
The US is blockading Iranian ports and has redirected 94 commercial vessels and disabled four others since mid-April, US Central Command said.
Trump’s decision to back out of his son’s wedding raised eyebrows Friday, with the President citing work to be done.
‘While I very much wanted to be with my son, Don Jr., and the newest member of the Trump Family, his soon to be wife, Bettina, circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America, do not allow me to do so,’ Trump wrote.
The sequence of events – which includes Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s resignation – adds to growing concerns that stalled diplomatic talks with the Iranian regime could draw the US back into a full-scale war as early as this weekend.
Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu had a heated phone call on Tuesday night, with the Israeli prime minister pressing the president to resume the bombing campaign against Iran.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a signing ceremony on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Sweden
At the NATO meeting in Sweden, Rubio said he discussed reopening the strait with other foreign ministers. He said there needs to be a ‘plan B’ if Washington and Tehran fail to reach a deal.
‘Someone´s going to have to do something about it, OK?’ Rubio said, insisting that Iran was not going to ‘voluntarily reopen’ the strait.
The American military has not found or destroyed any explosive mines in the Strait of Hormuz so far, but it is still searching, a US official said Friday.
No ships have been struck or damaged by mines in the strait either, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive military operations. That is even as some commercial traffic has been flowing, though at much lower volumes than before the war began.
Trump said last month that he ordered the military to begin mine-clearing efforts as part of a broader push to get commercial ships to traverse the strait again following several attacks by Iran.
No evidence of mine-laying by the Iranians has emerged since the start of the conflict, and US officials have repeatedly said that they targeted and destroyed that capability as part of the airstrikes across the country.
