Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hi, I'm your weekend host, Sharon Reich-Garson. It's Saturday, February 14th. Today, the U.S. prepares for possible military operations against Iran. Rubio pushes a unity message in Munich. Plus, Rio kicks off carnival with massive street parties. This is Reuters World News, bringing you everything you need to know from the front lines in 10 minutes, seven days a week.
We start with a Reuters exclusive.
Chapter 2: What military operations is the U.S. preparing against Iran?
The United States is preparing for the possibility of weeks-long military operations against Iran as President Trump sends a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East. Two U.S. officials tell Reuters on the condition of anonymity that an attack could become a far more serious conflict than previously seen between Washington and Tehran.
That disclosure raises the stakes for the diplomacy now underway, with U.S. and Iranian envoys preparing for another round of talks in Geneva next week. At the same time, President Trump is embracing potential regime change in Iran.
National security reporter Phil Stewart is in Washington.
What we're talking about here is something fundamentally different than what we saw last summer. And what I mean by that is, you know, you had seen a pretty stunning operation by US fighter pilots, bombers, basically, who flew all the way from the United States over Iranian airspace and destroyed Iran's nuclear facilities.
And what you're talking about now could be something fundamentally different, where the United States either attacks any range of targets in Iran, and then the Iranians retaliate, and then there's a back and forth.
Iran has warned that in case of strikes on its territory, it could retaliate against any U.S. military base in the Middle East.
What U.S. officials would often say and warn about is that the sheer number of missiles that Iran has stockpiled and ready to go, and the real only limiting factor for Iran is launchers. So, you know, the United States is going to take very seriously any defensive precautions before it goes ahead with any offensive action against Iran.
And I think that's what you're seeing with all this buildup by the U.S. military in the region right now.
Asked for comment on the preparations for a potentially sustained U.S. military operation, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said, quote, President Trump has all options on the table with regard to Iran. Over to Munich now, where U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is striking a more unifying tone, telling European leaders that Washington isn't walking away from the transatlantic alliance.
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