Trump briefed on attack options in Iran, including those for regime change…

( Right Scoop )

It’s being reported tonight by the WSJ that, while President Trump hasn’t made a decision yet on striking Iran, has been briefed on several different attack options, one of which is aimed at regime change.

Here’s what they are reporting:

The U.S. is sending significant numbers of jet fighters and support aircraft to the Middle East, assembling the greatest amount of air power in the region since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Yet it still couldn’t be determined whether President Trump would order strikes against Iran—and if he did, whether the aim would be to halt Iran’s already-battered nuclear program, wipe out its missile force or try to topple the regime.

Over the past few days, the U.S. has continued to move cutting-edge F-35 and F-22 jet fighters toward the Middle East, according to flight-tracking data and a U.S. official. A second aircraft carrier loaded with attack and electronic-warfare planes is on the way. Command-and-control aircraft, which are vital for orchestrating large air campaigns, are inbound. And critical air defenses have been deployed to the region in recent weeks.

The firepower will give the U.S. the option of carrying out a sustained, weekslong air war against Iran instead of the one-and-done “Midnight Hammer” strike the U.S. carried out in June against three Iranian nuclear sites, U.S. officials said.

Representatives from the U.S. and Iran met in Geneva this week to negotiate a possible deal over Iranian enrichment of uranium. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said there had been “a little bit of progress” in those talks, but added, “We’re still very far apart on some issues.” Iran is expected to offer a more detailed proposal to the U.S. in the next few weeks, Leavitt said.

Trump has received several briefings on his military options should he choose to strike, all of them designed to maximize damage to Iran’s regime and its regional proxies, U.S. officials said.

The options include a campaign to kill scores of Iranian political and military leaders, with the goal of overthrowing the government, U.S. and foreign officials said, as well as an air attack that would be limited to striking targets including nuclear and ballistic-missile facilities. Both would involve a potentially weekslong operation.

Trump hasn’t yet decided whether to order strikes against Iran, the U.S. officials said. His national-security advisers discussed Iran during a meeting in the White House’s Situation Room on Wednesday, according to a senior administration official.

Trump has signaled that he would prefer a diplomatic agreement that, if the U.S. got everything it wanted, would see Iran’s nuclear programs eliminated, regional proxy forces disbanded and ballistic missiles dismantled. Iran is seen as unlikely to agree to the last point, since it doesn’t have much of an air force and relies on missiles as its main deterrent. Trump has indicated that he mainly cares about the nuclear issue, telling reporters he would like Iran to stop enriching uranium.

Meanwhile, some advisers and foreign leaders, such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, are telling Trump that he should use U.S. military pressure to squeeze more concessions out of Tehran. Israel in particular wants to see an end to Iran’s ballistic-missile production, according to officials.