According to the Times, the regime is also preparing to deploy internal security forces and militias to major cities to prevent unrest in the event of conflict — underscoring that Iran’s leadership is bracing not only for confrontation abroad but instability at home. The matter comes as U.S. military plans for potential strikes on Iran have entered what officials describe as an “advanced” phase, with options reportedly expanding beyond nuclear and missile infrastructure to include targeted decapitation strikes against senior regime figures — and with President Donald Trump said to be able to make a strike decision “at any moment.” At the same time, the United States has assembled the largest concentration of airpower in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq invasion — deploying two carrier strike groups, advanced stealth fighters, refueling tankers, and layered missile defenses into theater — while Israel has moved to heightened readiness and Gulf states reportedly view the diplomatic gaps as unbridgeable.
Author: Joshua Klein
Published at: 2026-02-22 22:30:12
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