U.S. Military Moves Into Place for Possible Strikes in Iran

[womanofthehills]

NYT -

The rapid buildup of U.S. forces in the Middle East has progressed to the point that President Trump has the option to take military action against Iran as soon as this weekend, administration and Pentagon officials said, leaving the White House with high-stakes choices about pursuing diplomacy or war.

Mr. Trump has given no indication that he has made a decision about how to proceed. But the drive to assemble a military force capable of striking Iran’s nuclear program, its ballistic missiles and accompanying launch sites has continued this week despite indirect talks between the two nations on Tuesday, with Iran seeking two weeks to come back with fleshed out proposals for a diplomatic resolution.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly demanded that Iran give up its nuclear program, including agreeing not to enrich any more uranium. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, whose country would potentially take part in an attack, has been pushing for action to weaken Iran’s ability to launch missiles at Israel.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/us/politics/us-military-iran.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

[msongs]

1. we gonna send the bill for this war to israel? it can pay us back with our own money lol

[dalton99a]

2. +1

[popsdenver]

5. This would make so

many different country's leaders happy......Russia, Israel, Saudi's

[dalton99a]

3. Trump will continue to wage war against other nations until he gets a Nobel peace prize

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. MaddowBlog-Whether Americans are ready or not, Trump inches U.S. closer to a war in Iran

I have some bad news for voters who assumed Trump would reject military adventurism and ignore the calls for foreign interventionism.

In 2013, Trump tweeted, “Obama will someday attack Iran in order to show how tough he is.” He added, “Obama will attack Iran because of his inability to negotiate properly — not skilled!”

In 2012, he added that Obama would hit Iran because his "poll numbers are in a tailspin.”

Yeah, about that...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2026-02-19T16:20:26.569Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/whether-americans-are-ready-or-not-trump-inches-u-s-closer-to-a-war-in-iran

In September 2013, amid concerns about a possible U.S. confrontation with Iran, Donald Trump published a tweet that read, “Remember what I previously said — Obama will someday attack Iran in order to show how tough he is.” The Republican added, two months later, “Remember that I predicted a long time ago that President Obama will attack Iran because of his inability to negotiate properly — not skilled!”.....

Axios published a striking report this week that noted the growing body of evidence that suggests a war with Iran is “imminent.” The report added, “A U.S. military operation in Iran would likely be a massive, weeks-long campaign that would look more like full-fledged war than last month’s pinpoint operation in Venezuela.”

A day later, The Wall Street Journal reported:

The U.S. is sending significant numbers of jet fighters and support aircraft to the Middle East, assembling the greatest amount of air power in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. […]

Over the past few days, the U.S. has continued to move cutting-edge F-35 and F-22 jet fighters toward the Middle East, according to flight-tracking data and a U.S. official. A second aircraft carrier loaded with attack and electronic-warfare planes is on the way. Command-and-control aircraft, which are vital for orchestrating large air campaigns, are inbound. And critical air defenses have been deployed to the region in recent weeks.

.....On Friday, for example, a reporter asked Trump what the U.S. would even target if, as the president has claimed, Iran’s nuclear program has already been “obliterated.” Trump replied, “You could get whatever the dust is down there.”

Five days later, a reporter asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt why a military strike in Iran might be necessary. She replied that there are “many reasons and arguments that one could make.”

Q: "Can you share a little bit about…why a strike might be necessary on a nuclear program he said was 'obliterated' by the last U.S. strike?"

Leavitt: "There's many reasons and arguments one could make for a strike against Iran.”

— The Bulwark (@thebulwark.com) 2026-02-18T19:04:52.702Z

.....In the 2024 race, many voters saw Trump’s entire vision as rooted in foreign policy restraint. He was, these voters believed, the candidate who’d reject military adventurism and ignore the calls of those who embrace foreign interventionism.

I have some bad news for those Americans.

[leftstreet]

6. +1

[IronLionZion]

7. Nobel peace prize for sure