00:24Amid U.S.-Iran tensions, a tense new report emerges,
00:28suggesting that Washington may be preparing for far more than a single strike on Iran.
00:35U.S. military planners are reportedly drawing up scenarios for sustained operations
00:40lasting weeks, not days, if President Donald Trump gives the order.
00:46Officials say the plans go well beyond last year's midnight hammer strike on nuclear facilities.
00:52This time, targets could include state infrastructure,
00:55security forces, and strategic command centers.
00:59The Pentagon expects that any attack would trigger Iranian retaliation,
01:04setting off a cycle of strikes and counterstrikes that could stretch into a prolonged regional conflict.
01:10Defense officials say they are preparing for a drawn-out confrontation, not a quick show of force.
01:17Military planners assume Iran would respond immediately with missile launches,
01:21proxy attacks, or maritime disruptions, potentially forcing the United States
01:27into weeks of defensive and offensive operations.
01:30The expectation of escalation is why Washington is assembling a large strike posture,
01:37one designed to absorb retaliation while maintaining offensive pressure.
01:42That posture is already taking shape.
01:44The USS Gerald R. Ford, the newest and largest carrier in the American fleet,
01:50is heading to join the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Middle East.
01:54Together, the two carrier strike groups would bring more than 150 aircraft,
02:00thousands of personnel, and a powerful mix of guided missile cruisers and destroyers.
02:05The Ford alone can deploy over 75 aircraft and carries advanced radar and command systems
02:12capable of coordinating large-scale air campaigns.
02:15With only 11 carriers in the U.S. arsenal,
02:19deploying two to the same theater signals the seriousness of Washington's planning.
02:24President Trump himself has fueled the sense of urgency.
02:27Speaking at Fort Bragg, he said,
02:29sometimes you have to have fear to resolve conflicts,
02:33and openly suggested that regime change in Iran would be the best thing that could happen.
02:38He added that if negotiations fail, the military will be ready.
02:43With your help, America is winning again, America is respected again,
02:46and perhaps most importantly, we are feared by the enemies all over the globe.
02:52They fear us.
02:53You know, I don't like to say fear, but sometimes you have to have fear,
02:56because that's the only thing that really will get the situation taken care of.
03:01We have a situation right now where we sent a very big carrier group to Iran.
03:08I'd love to see if we could make a deal.
03:10They've been difficult to make a deal.
03:12I thought we would have had a deal last time.
03:13They wish they did, and that's what we did, Midnight Hammer.
03:17Trump also dismissed concerns about remaining nuclear targets,
03:21saying that if strikes occur,
03:23the mission would go far beyond what is left at the sites,
03:27implying a broader campaign aimed at Iran's capabilities as a whole.
03:31Despite the buildup, diplomacy has not been abandoned.
03:35U.S. envoys Steve Whitcoff and Jared Kushner
03:38are scheduled to meet Iranian representatives in Geneva,
03:42with Oman acting as mediator.
03:44Washington wants talks to include missiles,
03:47regional influence, and human rights issues,
03:49while Tehran insists it will only discuss nuclear limits
03:54in exchange for sanctions relief.
03:56The gap remains wide,
03:57and the military deployments suggest the White House
04:00is preparing for negotiations to fail.
04:03For now, the carriers continue their approach,
04:06and planners refine contingency maps.
04:09Gulf states fear a prolonged war could engulf the region,
04:13disrupt shipping lanes,
04:14and trigger proxy conflicts from Lebanon to Yemen.
04:17What makes this moment especially volatile
04:20is the scale of preparation,
04:22not a symbolic strike,
04:24but the architecture of a sustained campaign.
04:27Whether the buildup forces a deal
04:29or opens the door to a wider war
04:31may depend on the next move in Washington
04:34and Tehran's response to it.
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