Nyt Anticipation

Iran: Trump considers targeted raid followed by wider attack

"Thursday's talks are a test for Trump and will determine whether American soldiers will go to hell or return to America." This was written on X by the spokesman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Ebrahim Rezaei, regarding the new round of talks between the US and Iran to be held on Thursday in Geneva

23 February 2026

Un F/A-18E Super Hornet sul ponte di volo della portaerei di classe Nimitz USS Abraham Lincoln nel Mar Arabico (Reuters)

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

US President Donald Trump is considering conducting a targeted strike against Iran, followed by a broader attack. The New York Times writes this, citing people informed about internal deliberations within the US administration. According to the sources, Trump has in fact told his advisers that if diplomacy or an initial targeted US attack does not induce Iran to give in to its demands to give up its nuclear programme, then he will consider a much larger attack in the coming months aimed at ousting Iranian leaders. Options that Trump is considering should the negotiations scheduled for Thursday in Geneva fail.

Trump annuncia un'ulteriore "splendida flotta" diretta verso l'Iran

Although no final decisions have been made, advisers have said that Trump is inclined to conduct an initial strike in the coming days, with the aim of demonstrating to Iranian leaders that they must be willing to agree to give up the ability to build a nuclear weapon. Targets under consideration range from the headquarters of the Pasdaran, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, to the country's nuclear sites and ballistic missile programme. Should these measures fail to convince Tehran to comply with his demands, Trump has told his advisers that he will consider a military strike by the end of the year, with the aim of overthrowing Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Usa, Trump all'Iran: "Negozi accordo o prossimo attacco sarà molto peggiore"

Tehran: limited attacks will be considered as aggression

Any attack on its territory, including limited attacks, will be considered 'an act of aggression'. This was stated during a media briefing by Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei, commenting on recent statements by US President Donald Trump. This was reported by the Iranian news agency Isna.

"There is no such thing as a limited attack, an act of aggression is an act of aggression," he explained. "Any government would consider such an act to be an act of aggression and, as part of its inherent right to self-defence, would react decisively and forcefully, so our response would be the same," he added.

"Thursday's talks are a test for Trump and will determine whether American soldiers will go to hell or return to America." This was written in 'X' by the spokesman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, Ebrahim Rezaei, regarding the new round of talks between the US and Iran to be held on Thursday in Geneva.

India Embassy in Tehran: "Leave the country"

Meanwhile, the Indian embassy in Tehran has issued an urgent appeal to its fellow citizens to leave Iran, while tensions between the US and the Islamic Republic remain at an all-time high, with President Donald Trump continuing to consider the military option against the ayatollahs. "Further to the notice issued by the Government of India on 5 January 2026 and in light of the evolving situation in Iran, Indian nationals who are currently in Iran (students, pilgrims, businessmen and tourists) are advised to leave the country by available means of transport, including commercial flights," the Embassy of India in Tehran said in a note.

Israel informed of Trump's willingness for 'step-by-step' agreement

Donald Trump is reportedly aiming for a 'phased' agreement with Iran, modelled on the one reached for the Gaza Strip. This - according to the daily Maariv - was explained to the ministers during the meeting of the Israeli security cabinet held last night in Jerusalem, which focused at length on the current negotiations between Iran and the United States. According to Maariv, the idea of the head of the White House would be to first close the most urgent and sensitive dossier - the Iranian nuclear programme - while postponing to a later stage the other issues on the table, which are of close interest to Israel. In particular, the issue of Tehran's ballistic missiles and Iran's support for regional proxies would only be dealt with after an agreement on the nuclear issue. A gradual approach that, according to the newspaper, would follow the method already adopted by the US administration in other crisis scenarios. In the meantime, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to convene a new restricted security meeting in Jerusalem today with close aides and a number of key ministers, according to the office of one of the participants.