The prospect of a new U.S.-led strike on Iran is rising, with American and Israeli military preparations nearing completion and senior Iranian commanders warning that U.S. bases and interests across the region would become immediate targets in the event of an attack.

According to regional and defense reporting, Israeli forces have completed preparations to support a potential American strike, while the deployment of U.S. assets in the Middle East is close to being finalized. U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter jets have been positioned at an air base in Jordan, alongside C-17 transport aircraft to support logistics and sustainment — moves that would place the base at the center of any opening phase of a military campaign.

The Jordanian base, located roughly 850 to 900 kilometers from Iran’s border, sits beyond the reach of Iran’s most accurate short-range ballistic and tactical missiles, meaning Tehran would need to rely on medium-range ballistic missiles to strike it.

The military posture comes as Iranian leaders have issued increasingly explicit warnings. On Thursday, the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Mohammad Pakpour, said the force had its “finger on the trigger,” signaling readiness for rapid retaliation.

“The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and dear Iran have their finger on the trigger, more prepared than ever,” Pakpour said in a statement carried by state television, warning the United States and Israel to avoid “miscalculations” or face a “more painful and regrettable fate.”

Another senior Iranian commander, General Ali Abdollahi Aliabadi, who leads Iran’s joint command headquarters, said that in the event of a U.S. strike, “all U.S. interests, bases and centers of influence” would be considered legitimate targets.

The escalating rhetoric comes against the backdrop of recent unrest inside Iran and renewed tensions over Tehran’s nuclear and missile programs. Two weeks of mass protests beginning in late December rattled Iran’s clerical leadership under Ali Khamenei, before a sweeping crackdown — accompanied by a near-total internet blackout — suppressed the demonstrations. Iranian authorities say more than 3,000 people were killed, while human rights groups put the toll significantly higher.

At the same time, U.S. officials have continued to signal that military options remain firmly on the table. President Donald Trump has repeatedly left open the possibility of new strikes, following Washington’s backing and later participation in Israel’s 12-day campaign last year aimed at degrading Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities.

Speaking this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump confirmed that the United States struck Iranian uranium enrichment sites last year to prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear weapon.

“Can’t let that happen,” Trump said, adding that Iran “does want to talk” and that Washington remains open to diplomacy — even as he warned that further nuclear advances would trigger additional military action.

“They can’t do the nuclear,” Trump said. “If they do it, we’re going to strike again.”

The standoff has been marked by sharp, seesawing rhetoric. Earlier this week, Trump warned that the United States would respond with overwhelming force if Iran were to retaliate against him personally or target senior leaders following any strike on Tehran.

Speaking in Davos, Israeli President Isaac Herzog said Iran’s leadership was in a fragile position and suggested that long-term stability for the Iranian people would require fundamental political change.

“The future for the Iranian people can only be in a regime change,” Herzog said, describing the current leadership as increasingly vulnerable.

Iran continues to deny that its nuclear program is aimed at developing a weapon, but it has enriched uranium to levels with no clear civilian justification, limited international inspections and expanded its ballistic missile capabilities.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)