Trump shelves Iran escalation amid Patriot missile stock concerns

The Trump administration has reportedly paused plans for a significant military escalation against Iran, primarily due to concerns over the Pentagon's already limited stock of Patriot missile interceptors and air defense munitions in the Middle East. This shift in strategy emerged from a meeting President Trump held with top advisors and administration members, according to sources cited by The New York Times.

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Any country, whether it is the United Kingdom, the Persian Gulf states, or others, will be our legitimate target if it supports the United States in the war.

General warned in private that while further military actions were possible, they would "dangerously" deplete the interceptors available to U.S. Central Command (Centcom). This assessment likely influenced the decision to hold back from a broader offensive.

In response to potential U.S. actions, Iran has issued strong warnings. Hossein Mohebi, a spokesman for Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, stated that any nation supporting U.S. military operations would become a legitimate target. "Recently, U.S. B-1 bombers have used British airports to attack Iran. Any country, whether it is the United Kingdom, the Persian Gulf states, or others, will be our legitimate target if it supports the United States in the war," Mohebi was quoted as saying by Tasnim news agency. He added that Iran has its own scenarios for various situations.

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The Israelis know what will happen to them if they go back to war. We will focus on them.

Mohebi also directed a warning towards Israel, suggesting that "Israelis know what will happen to them if they go back to war. We will focus on them." He accused Israel of provoking the U.S. president and providing false information to keep the U.S. involved in the region for its own objectives.

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Provoking the president of the United States and providing false information, Israel wants to keep the United States in the region and promote its own goals by exploiting American power.

Furthermore, Mohebi claimed that Iran's Nasr-2 operation resulted in the deaths of over 200 American soldiers, with a significantly higher number of wounded than officially announced by the United States. These statements highlight the heightened tensions and the ongoing war of words between Iran and the U.S.

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Over 200 American soldiers have been killed in the Iranian operation Nasr-2 and the number of wounded is much higher than announced by the United States.