Official: US Struck Iran Over Imminent Missile Threat

The decision to strike Iran on Saturday was based on a U.S. assessment of Tehran's conventional missile capability, which posed an imminent threat to the U.S. and allies in the region, a senior Trump administration official told Newsmax.

The administration maintains that Operation Midnight Hammer obliterated Iran's nuclear program, and the regime was repeatedly warned that any effort to rebuild the facilities would be addressed appropriately.

Diplomacy remained the preference; however, there were signs that Iran was preparing a preemptive strike against U.S. personnel in the region, according to the official.

"The president was not going to sit back and allow American forces in the region to absorb attacks from conventional missiles ... We had an analysis that told us that if we sat back and waited to get hit first, the amount of casualties and damage would be substantially higher," the official told Newsmax.

The Iranians refused to address their ballistic missile program or even discuss doing so.

The United States went into negotiations with Iran knowing the regime was weak after Operation Midnight Hammer, widespread protests, and a reeling economy.

President Donald Trump positioned the military in the region to show he was playing a strong hand, and negotiators communicated to Iran that force would be used if progress was not quickly made toward a legitimate deal, the source told Newsmax.

The U.S. offered to subsidize guardrails and even provide Iran with free nuclear fuel forever; Tehran responded by saying the country needed to enrich uranium.

This was an unacceptable outcome as intelligence suggested Iran was rebuilding its nuclear weapons infrastructure, the source told Newsmax. 

The Iranians provided a seven-page response to the U.S. demands. After thorough analysis, it was concluded that Iran's plan would result in enrichment capabilities that were roughly five times those laid out in the Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, including construction of its own centrifuges, the official said.

Negotiators believed they could reach a short-term bad deal, but it wouldn't deal with the long-term problems the regime presented.

The U.S.-Israel operation on Iran is expected to last several days and will provide opportunities for off-ramps for the regime, the official said.

The planning of the operation had been in the works for months; an urgent development, which was likely a meeting of top Iranian officials, triggered the operation Saturday, the source told Newsmax.

The first wave of strikes targeted top regime and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps members, Iran's defenses, naval capabilities, and underground military assets using fighter jets and Tomahawk missiles.

Military officials believe they have largely achieved air superiority, but warn that although Iran's response has been ineffective so far, the country still possesses thousands of ballistic missiles.

Iran has launched a large salvo of drones and missiles toward Tel Aviv, and sirens have been sounding throughout the day as residents seek shelter.

European partners did not take part in the offensive components of the operation but are in position to provide defensive support if required.