Tensions between the United States and Iran are reaching a breaking point, with senior officials and advisers warning that a major military confrontation could be just days or weeks away. The Trump administration is closer to launching a large-scale operation in the Middle East than most Americans currently understand.
According to a report by Barak Ravid of Axios, a potential U.S. military campaign against Iran would not resemble a limited strike — it would be a massive, weeks-long operation, likely carried out jointly with Israel, and far broader in scope than the Israeli-led 12-day war last June that the U.S. eventually joined to destroy Iran's underground nuclear facilities.
The situation escalated following nuclear talks in Geneva on Tuesday, where Trump advisers Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi for three hours. Though both sides described the discussions as making "progress," U.S. officials remain deeply pessimistic. Vice President JD Vance acknowledged that the president had set red lines "that the Iranians are not yet willing to acknowledge and work through," adding that Trump could determine diplomacy has "reached its natural end."
On the military front, the U.S. has assembled a formidable force in the region, including two aircraft carriers, a dozen warships, hundreds of fighter jets, and multiple air defense systems. Over 150 military cargo flights have delivered weapons and ammunition to the Middle East in recent weeks, and in just the past 24 hours, 50 additional fighter jets — including F-35s, F-22s, and F-16s — were deployed to the region.
Israeli officials are reportedly preparing for a potential war scenario within days, with the Israeli government pushing for a maximalist outcome that would target not only Iran's nuclear and missile programs, but potentially regime change itself. One Trump adviser placed the odds of military action at 90 percent within the coming weeks. Senator Lindsey Graham suggested strikes could still be weeks away, though other sources indicate the timeline may be considerably shorter.
Iran has been given a two-week window to return with a detailed proposal — a deadline that echoes the circumstances of last June, when a similar two-week ultimatum preceded the launch of Operation Midnight Hammer just three days later.
With no diplomatic breakthrough in sight and an unprecedented military buildup already in motion, the path to war appears increasingly difficult to reverse.