This handout image from the U.S. Navy shows Capt. Daniel Keeler, the commanding officer of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, as he prepares to fly an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter in the Indian Ocean on Jan. 23, 2026. (Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Daniel Kimmelman/U.S. Navy via AP)
President Donald Trump is reportedly weighing a major new strike on Iran after the Islamic Republic’s leadership failed to meet his demand for a negotiation on the country’s nuclear programme.
Potential US targets
According to CNN, Trump is considering options including US military airstrikes aimed at Iran’s leaders and the security officials believed to be responsible for the killings of protesters during the recent mass demonstrations in the country. Strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and government institutions are also under consideration, the report said.
While no final decision has been taken on how to proceed, a source told CNN that military options have been expanded from earlier this month, now that a US carrier strike group is in the region.
US Armada heading to Iran
Trump had first threatened to intervene in Iran earlier this month in support of the anti-government protesters. However, the lack of military fire power in the region at that time made an immideate intervention unfeaceable.
But the US is in a much stronger position now as the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group entered the Indian Ocean on Monday and is moving closer to Iran.
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Iranian response
Iran has responded to the US threats and warned of retaliation, including against Israel and other allies of Washington in the region.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it has contingency plans in place for all potential “enemy scenarios”.
IRGC spokesperson Brigadier General Ali Mohammad Naeini on Thursday said that detailed action plans are in place to counter what Tehran describes as hostile moves by its adversaries, including potential military action, state news agency, IRNA said.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said that the country’s armed forces are on high alert, with “their fingers on the trigger” to respond “immediately and powerfully” to any attack.
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Meanwhile, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s parliamentary speaker, has said Tehran is open to genuine negotiations with the United States, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.
It stated that while Iran is ready for honest and real talks with the US, Tehran does not think this is the kind of talk Trump is looking for.
Trump may be able to start a war, but he has no control over how it ends, the report said.
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This handout image from the U.S. Navy shows Capt. Daniel Keeler, the commanding officer of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, as he prepares to fly an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter in the Indian Ocean on Jan. 23, 2026. (Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Daniel Kimmelman/U.S. Navy via AP) 
