The talk of “options” for striking at Iran, both military and non-military, is filling Washington, but other than “sending messages,” the objectives of such U.S. actions are not clear. President Donald Trump has been briefed on a wide array of military and covert tools that can be used against Iran that go well beyond conventional airstrikes, two unnamed Defense Department officials [told CBS News last night.](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-briefed-on-military-cyber-psychological-options-for-iran-sources-say/) White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump’s national security team met at the White House on Jan. 13 to discuss updated Iran options, but that Trump himself did not attend.
The U.S. and Qatar announced the opening of a new center to coordinate air and missile defense at al-Udeid Air Base on Jan. 13, reported Middle East Eye. The timing, however, appears to be accidental, though convenient if Trump chooses military action.
Also reported on Jan. 13 was that White House special envoy Steve Witkoff met secretly over the weekend with the exiled former Crown Prince of Iran Reza Pahlavi to discuss the protests raging in Iran, an unnamed senior U.S. official [told Axios. “There has been an ascendance of Pahlavi. They are chanting his name in demonstrations in many cities and it seems to be happening organically,” the U.S. official claimed.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Al Jazeera in an Jan. 12 interview that channels of communication with the U.S. were open, but stressed that his country was “prepared for all options,” claiming that Iran now has “large and extensive military preparedness” compared to last year’s 12-day war.
