(Bloomberg) — Senior US officials are preparing for the possibility of a strike on Iran in coming days, according to people familiar with the matter, as Israel and the Islamic Republic continue to exchange fire.
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Some of them pointed to potential plans for a weekend strike. Top leaders at a handful of federal agencies have begun getting ready for an attack, one person said.
A missile from Iran on Thursday struck an Israeli hospital for the first time since the war started almost a week ago, a reminder of the risks to civilians in both countries. Israel’s Health Ministry said there were only a number of light injuries in the incident at Soroka Medical Center in the south of the country, as the missile landed in a department that had been evacuated just hours earlier.
Israel will exact “the full price” from the Iranian administration for the strike, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
US President Donald Trump has for days publicly mused about joining Israel’s strikes on Iran, a move that would escalate the conflict in the oil-rich Middle East. The situation is evolving and could change, said the people, who requested anonymity to discuss private talks.
Israel said it would escalate attacks on Iranian strategic and government targets “to remove threats to the State of Israel and undermine the Iranian regime,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
“Khamenei will be held accountable,” he added, directly naming Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The comments indicate a widening of Israel’s war objective beyond the destruction of Iran’s nuclear program, and the country’s campaign showed no signs of letting up. Jets struck dozens of military targets in Iran overnight, including an inactive nuclear reactor in the area of Arak.
Arak has long been the focus of international scrutiny due to its potential role in plutonium production, which could potentially be used in future nuclear-weapon production if reprocessing capabilities were developed. The Arak-Khondab region area, situated in central Iran, is itself strategically significant as it is home to some of the country’s most critical atomic infrastructure.
European stocks and US futures edged lower on geopolitical uncertainty and concerns about the inflationary impact of higher crude prices. Brent rose 1.2%, trading above $77 per barrel. Cash trading in US stocks and Treasuries is closed for the Juneteenth holiday.
Efforts to contain the escalation of the conflict continue, while the US weighs its options. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said on X the war between Iran and Israel marks “a pivotal moment with far-reaching consequences for both nations and the region.” He called for an end to hostilities and return to dialog.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post Wednesday that his country remained “committed to diplomacy” and has never sought and would never seek nuclear weapons.
Araghchi is set to meet foreign ministers from the UK, France, and Germany on Friday in Geneva to discuss the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program and the war with Israel, according to a statement from his office. The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, will be present.
A day later, the Iranian minister is expected to attend the Organization of Islamic Cooperation meeting in Istanbul, Turkish news channel NTV reported, citing diplomatic sources it didn’t identify. A special session on the war between Israel and Iran is planned.
Trump told reporters at the White House Wednesday he has “ideas as to what to do” and that he prefers to make the “final decision one second before it’s due” because the situation is fluid.
A few hours earlier, Trump had said, “I may do it. I may not do it,” when asked if he was moving closer to attacking Iran.
A White House official said that all options remain on the table.
Change of Tone
The president’s openness to war is a reversal from his public remarks a week ago, when Trump was urging diplomatic talks to reach a nuclear disarmament deal with Iran.
Waiting a few days to strike gives Iranian leaders additional runway to demonstrate to Trump they are willing to give up some uranium enrichment capabilities to deter a US attack.
Earlier: Trump’s Iran War Talk Testing His Ties With MAGA Loyalists
Trump’s rhetoric has shifted as allies have impressed upon him that Iran is close to obtaining a nuclear weapon. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina has been a central voice urging the president to consider military action, according to people familiar with the discussions. Trump has had multiple calls with Graham, the people said.
International Atomic Energy Association inspectors “have not seen” any structured effort by Iran to produce nuclear weapons, but “no country in the world is enriching uranium at this level,” the United Nations watchdog’s director general, Rafael Mariano Grossi, told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday.
Since Israel first attacked Iran on Friday, hundreds of people have been killed. At least 224 Iranians have died, mostly civilians, according to Iran’s health ministry. Israel says 400 ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones fired by Iran killed 24 people and injured more than 800, according to the Israeli emergency services.
–With assistance from Beril Akman, Jamie Tarabay, Jennifer A. Dlouhy, Shikhar Balwani, Eltaf Najafizada and Alisa Odenheimer.
(Updates with details on hospital strike, Iran’s Araghchi attending meetings in Geneva, Istanbul.)
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