US President Donald Trump is reviewing a military proposal for 10 to 14 days of intense air strikes against Iran, following an attack in which four US soldiers were killed, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.
Citing a senior US official, the report said Trump was “in a mood to escalate” but was still weighing “how big” the response should be. The plan was put forward by Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command (CENTCOM), and its core strategy is to use “overwhelming force” to disable Tehran’s missile and drone capabilities.
According to Cooper, Washington must intensify its air strikes to “significantly neutralize” the Iranian threat and break the current stalemate. He argued that destroying Tehran’s offensive military infrastructure would mean US forces no longer had to rely only on defensive weapons.
An earlier assessment by Cooper had noted that the targets set for the initial air strikes were “nearly exhausted,” so that achieving any new strategic gain would require a major escalation through all-out fighting.
Internal disagreement and concern
General Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, has taken a cautious stance against the CENTCOM chief’s plan. He warned the White House about the “declining stockpile of air-defense interceptors,” the report said.
Caine said a large-scale operation was not impossible, but that a shortage of munitions would put US forces and regional allies at serious risk.
While reports spread of infighting within the US defense department, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell denied it, saying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Admiral Cooper and General Caine were fully agreed and united on carrying out the mission.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report