Top national security officials have told President Donald Trump that the U.S. military is prepared to carry out potential strikes on Iran as soon as Saturday, according to CBS News.

The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said the president has not made a final decision. Internal deliberations have been described as fluid and ongoing, with the White House weighing the risks of escalation against the political and military consequences of restraint.

Over the next several days, the Pentagon is shifting some personnel temporarily out of the Middle East, relocating them primarily to Europe or back to the United States ahead of possible U.S. military action or anticipated Iranian countermeasures. One official stressed that repositioning personnel is standard procedure ahead of potential operations and does not necessarily signal that a strike is imminent.

The military posture in the region is already significant. The USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group is operating in the Middle East, and the USS Gerald R. Ford — the Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier — is en route. As of Wednesday, maritime tracking data showed the Ford off the coast of West Africa.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, responded Tuesday with a pointed message, posting an AI-generated image of the Ford submerged beneath the ocean. “The US President constantly says that the US has sent a warship toward Iran. Of course, a warship is a dangerous piece of military hardware,” Khamenei wrote on X. “However, more dangerous than that warship is the weapon that can send that warship to the bottom of the sea.”

The military buildup comes as diplomatic efforts continue. U.S. and Iranian negotiators met in Geneva on Tuesday for several hours of mediated talks over Tehran’s nuclear program. The Trump administration has described the discussions as making “a little bit of progress,” but White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt acknowledged Wednesday that “we’re still very far apart on some issues.”

“Iran would be very wise to make a deal with President Trump and with his administration,” Leavitt said, reiterating that diplomacy remains the president’s first option. She declined to say whether any potential strike would be coordinated with Israel.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio is expected to travel to Israel in approximately two weeks for further discussions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to one source. Two additional sources said Trump told Netanyahu in December that he would support Israeli strikes on Iran’s ballistic missile program if negotiations fail.

Tensions have continued to mount. Iran warned pilots Wednesday to avoid its southern region due to planned rocket launches. Last June, the U.S. joined Israel in strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities during the 12-day conflict that intelligence assessments said inflicted severe damage on Tehran’s program.

Before that conflict, Iran had accelerated uranium enrichment to 60 percent purity, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, a level just short of weapons-grade material and unprecedented for a country without nuclear weapons.

For now, the carriers advance, the diplomats talk, and the president holds the final call.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)