As Trump weighs a strike on Iran, the Pentagon has a warning
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Good morning. As the White House considers a strike on Iran, the president's top general reportedly offers a stark warning.
The Pentagon's basically saying, OK, if you want to go big, well then, you know, the bigger it is, the more risks you incur, Mr. President.
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What warning is the Pentagon giving about a potential strike on Iran?
I'm Yasmeen Khan, and this is Apple News Today.
The Trump administration is seeking major concessions from Iran on its nuclear program amid threats of military action. Talks last week ended without a deal, but President Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner head to Geneva for another round of discussions this week. Yesterday, the U.S. pulled out its non-essential diplomatic staff from Beirut and Lebanon amid growing concerns of conflict. Right now, there's a significant U.S. military presence already built up near Iran awaiting further instruction. In fact, the U.S. has now assembled the largest amount of air power in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq War. But the Wall Street Journal is reporting that General Dan Kaine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, is warning President Trump that there could be serious consequences if the U.S.
gets involved in Iran.
There are kind of three main things that General Kaine is highlighting here.
Alex Ward is a national security reporter for The Wall Street Journal.
First is that if there was to be an extended campaign that could last multiple days against Iran, that would happen. It increases the risk of casualties against Americans for obvious reasons. There'll just be more Americans operating likely in and around Iran. And of course, allies that would be like Israel would be trying to defend. So there's that. There's also the possibility that. that the U.S. starts running out of munitions and air defense missiles, which the U.S. is already running low on. The Pentagon's been warning about this for basically since Trump's been in office, if not before that. And then there's the third thing, which is just overtaxing the force. So what Kaine is not advocating necessarily for, don't do the strikes.
He's just saying, effectively, Mr. President, if you want to choose these massive options against Iran, you're welcome to. Just know that these are the risks that you incur if you choose such options.
On Monday, President Trump disputed the reporting about Kaine's concerns, saying the Pentagon is ready for military action. Ward says it's common for the president's most senior military advisor to lay out different scenarios, but Trump continues to say that the U.S. will be ready to strike within weeks.
We still don't exactly know what the administration is trying to achieve with these strikes. There are questions about whether it's all about regime change. That's a possibility. It's also just about hitting the Iranians really hard for not giving up any designs on obtaining a nuclear weapon, which Tehran has long denied, or whether it's a very, very belated strikes in support of protesters in Iran.
The goals for ongoing talks, at least, are a little clearer. According to Reuters, Washington wants the regime to limit the range of its missiles to short distances, withdraw support for armed groups in the Middle East, and agree to zero nuclear enrichment. These are conditions Iran has never previously entertained, and the government there maintains its nuclear program as a right and necessity for peaceful energy-related goals. As they prepare for new talks on Thursday, Iran faces big vulnerabilities at home. The economic conditions remain catastrophic, and discontent has not gone away, despite the violent crackdown. Students in Tehran protested for the third day in a row on Monday, defying their government.
But as the journal's Ward points out, the regime could still act with aggression if they feel they're out of options.
After the 12-day war last year and just years of being hit by the U.S.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:05–0:32
2
What warning is the Pentagon giving about a potential strike on Iran?
0:32–6:41
3
How is the U.S. military preparing in the Middle East?
6:41–8:23
4
What are the risks of military action against Iran according to General Kaine?
8:23–15:01
Speakers
6 identifiedMore from Apple News Today
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