Trump is amassing a large fleet near Iran. Here’s what’s at stake.
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What are the current tensions between the U.S. and Iran?
Good morning. Tensions between the U.S. and Iran continue to escalate as American forces build up in the region.
President Trump and others say if there is no deal, there will be other options available to them. But the risk there, of course, is a U.S. strike on Iran could lead to a bigger conflict in the region.
The Wall Street Journal explains a new option on the table for Trump. Former Prince Andrew was arrested and released without charge. The Times of London tells us how the arrest went down and its ripple effects. And two big gold medals for the U.S. on ice. It's Friday, February 20th.
What military options is Trump considering against Iran?
I'm Cecilia Ley, and this is Apple News Today.
In a meeting on Thursday that was intended to focus on the governance of Gaza, President Trump brought up another brewing conflict.
And we do have some work to do with Iran. They can't have a nuclear weapon. It's very simple. You can't have peace in the Middle East if they have a nuclear weapon. And they can't have a nuclear weapon. And they've been told that very strongly.
Alex Ward is a national security reporter for The Wall Street Journal and has been tracking the escalating tensions.
The U.S.
What are the implications of a potential U.S. strike on Iran?
and Iran are locked in both a military standoff and a diplomatic negotiation.
U.S. diplomats met with Iranian counterparts earlier this week in Switzerland to discuss curbing Tehran's nuclear program. Ward says the two sides still appear very far apart.
The U.S. has pretty maximalist demands.
What led to the arrest of former Prince Andrew?
It wants Iran to not only curb its nuclear enrichment, but also quit ballistic missile production and curb support for its regional armed proxies. Iran at this point is basically saying we're considering concessions on the nuclear front, but nothing else.
The U.S. has sent a significant military fleet to the region, including one aircraft carrier with another on the way, as well as the largest amount of air power in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq war. Iran so far has not built up its forces, but has warned that it's prepared to retaliate should the U.S. attack.
But what it is saying to the U.S. is if you strike us in any capacity whatsoever, Iran will retaliate at its most maximalist, in the most maximalist way. Now, what that means is unclear. But basically, it's kind of a you hit us, we will hit you as big as we possibly can.
Ward says that until recently, Trump's team had only been discussing larger scale strike options against Iran to force regime change. Now, however, there appears to be another option on the table. Ward reported it first for the Journal.
What we're hearing is that also as part of the discussions, Trump has been considering what's called a more limited strike and an initial limited strike. which could happen during the negotiations. So basically hit a few Iranian targets, you know, government, military targets, and signal to the Iranians, you know, make a deal or else, and really heap pressure on them. And this would be calibrated in a way that it could send a serious message, but perhaps not spark a much broader war that, of course, an all-out attack could do.
And that, Ward says, is the larger risk for Trump here.
If there's one thing he's promised from his first term to his second— It has been that even if the U.S. does attack other countries, it would not engage in a large-scale forever war, and particularly in the Middle East. Well, if the U.S. were to go big against Iran, could it just happen without an Iranian retaliation or without sucking the U.S. into a bigger conflict?
How is Massachusetts addressing its housing crisis?
I mean, it could, but most analysts I've talked to say that that's unlikely, that in fact going big and trying to topple the regime will lead to instability in Iran and require a continued U.S. engagement.
Ward reports a limited strike like this is similar to one Trump considered against North Korea in 2018 when his administration said it wanted to give the country a so-called bloody nose to force a deal on nuclear arms. Trump opted not to carry out that strike and engaged in diplomacy instead, which ultimately failed. North Korea did not give up any of its nuclear weapons.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What are the current tensions between the U.S. and Iran?
0:04–0:41
2
What military options is Trump considering against Iran?
0:41–1:20
3
What are the implications of a potential U.S. strike on Iran?
1:20–1:39
4
What led to the arrest of former Prince Andrew?
1:39–3:34
5
How is Massachusetts addressing its housing crisis?
3:34–4:23
6
What are the details of the proposed rent-control law in Massachusetts?
4:23–5:09
7
What is the significance of Trump's new 'Board of Peace'?
5:09–5:54
8
How did Team USA perform in the Winter Olympics?
5:54–14:56
Speakers
8 identifiedMore from Apple News Today
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