Over the past few days, Trump has made several posts that suggest a direct US military involvement in the Iran-Israel conflict, which erupted on Friday, June 13, 2025.
His remarks included that the US has a “total control of the skies over Iran” and that Tehran should submit to an “unconditional surrender.” Then, he said about the US striking Iran “I may do it, I may not do it.”
In this context, the Former Senior Military Advisor to US Department of State and Member of the Board of Directors of the National Council on US-Arab Relations, Colonel (Ret.) Abbas Dahouk, said that the Trump administration is preparing for a military operation while using coercive diplomacy.
Military Operation Coming
Speaking to BBC Arabic, Dahouk said: “It seems that the Trump administration tries to gather all these elements to launch a military operation against the most fortified nuclear facility in Iran, which is Fordo.”
“But at the same time, the US continues to use coercive diplomacy to try to put pressure on the Iranian regime through the above-mentioned remarks, that the US is serious about the unconditional surrender,” he added.
The Former Senior Military Advisor to US Department of State also suggested that the fact that Israel is dropping bombs on Tehran “disappoints the Iranians and may push them to take a position on this war and take an action.”
So, “Trump’s coercive diplomacy continues and at the same time, preparations go on,” he noted.
Moving US Assets
American officials told Israeli counterparts that the next 48 hours will be decisive, raising questions about what may happen.
In the light of this, Col. Dahouk said: “The military preparations seem to be at its peak. All these strategic assets have been moved.” These assets include refueling aircraft, US Navy destroyers and warships that have moved to the Middle East.
Targeting Fordo
All these elements come together to “prepare for what could be a major strike on specific targets inside Iran,” Dahouk said. In case of US involvement, “this engagement will be very specific and will target certain nuclear facilities, namely the Fordo nuclear compound, which requires US assets to destroy it,” he said.
Moreover, US assets are needed to destroy “the infrastructure related to Iran’s nuclear program, an advanced infrastructure that contributes to building a nuclear bomb,” Dahouk added.
Geopolitical Dilemma
“This requires a political decision. Trump has not decided yet on this operation, some elements in his administration want to destroy Iran’s nuclear program once and for all, and topple the Iranian regime,” Dahouk noted.
On the other hand, he said that other elements want Trump to fulfill his “America First” promises and to not engage in new wars in the Middle East. Thus, it is a “geopolitical dilemma” that Trump is trying to decide. But militarily, everything seems ready, according to Dahouk.
