00:02There are growing signs this morning the United States could be moving closer to military action against Iran.
00:09CNN now reports the Pentagon is prepared to strike as early as this weekend, though President Trump has not made
00:15a final decision.
00:16Sources tell CNN the White House has been briefed that U.S. air and naval assets in the region could
00:23be ready within days.
00:24The USS Gerald Ford carrier group is expected to arrive in the region soon.
00:29Joining the USS Abraham Lincoln, Air Force refueling tankers and fighter jets based in the U.K. are also being
00:36repositioned closer to the region.
00:39White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt says the president is still weighing his options.
00:45The president has always been very clear, though, with respect to Iran or any country around the world.
00:49Diplomacy is always his first option.
00:51And Iran would be very wise to make a deal with President Trump and with this administration.
00:56At the same time, new satellite imagery shows Iran fortifying key nuclear and military facilities, including concrete and soil over
01:05parts of the Parchin military complex and tunnel entrances at the Isfahan nuclear complex, steps designed to make targets harder
01:13to hit from the air.
01:15Iran's leadership, meanwhile, is projecting defiance and warning the U.S. against escalation.
01:20On Tuesday, Vice President J.D. Vance said Iran still has not met U.S. red lines and that President
01:27Trump has the means to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.
01:32You can't have people like that have the most dangerous weapon known to man.
01:36It would be awful for our security.
01:38It would be awful for the future of our children.
01:40That is the goal of the president of the United States.
01:42And he's got a lot of options and a lot of tools to make sure that doesn't happen.
01:45The pressure is already hitting the markets.
01:48CNBC reports oil prices jumped on Wednesday after Vance's comments as traders priced in higher risk if diplomacy breaks down.
01:56Another signal this morning, Russian naval video shows a warship docking in Iran ahead of joint activity in the region,
02:04as Tehran also runs drills near the Strait of Hormuz, the choke point for where a major share of global
02:10oil flows.
02:11For now, the White House says it's still watching for Iran's next move.
02:15But the message from Washington is clear.
02:18Time is tightening and the pressure is rising.
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