Washington, DC [US], May 17 (ANI): President Donald Trump posted a striking, AI‑generated image on Truth Social bearing the single-line caption: “It Was The Calm Before The Storm.” The picture—showing him in a “Make America Great Again” cap on the deck of a US Navy vessel beside a senior officer, with stormy seas, lightning and several warships flying Iranian flags in the background—arrived as tensions around Tehran and the Strait of Hormuz sharply escalated.
The post coincided with intense internal deliberations in the administration, according to a detailed New York Times report. The White House is reportedly considering a return to active military operations against Iran after a fragile lull in hostilities. Trump, who returned to Washington from a visit to Beijing, has been presented with what aides describe as “major decisions on Iran,” and senior staff have been drafting strike plans that could be used if diplomatic efforts collapse.
Diplomats and allied governments have been quietly negotiating a compromise aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz—a vital shipping lane—and structuring any agreement so the president can present it as a diplomatic win. Reports say Trump dismissed an Iranian proposal outright, telling reporters aboard Air Force One: “I looked at it, and if I don’t like the first sentence, I just throw it away.”
Meanwhile, Pentagon planners have finalized contingency options for a possible reactivation of “Operation Epic Fury,” a campaign that was put on hold last month after a ceasefire was announced. US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the military keeps “a plan to escalate if necessary,” even as defense officials also map out less aggressive scenarios, including potential troop reductions from the region.
Options under consideration range from expanded aerial bombing that would target Iranian military sites and critical infrastructure to a high‑risk ground operation by US Special Operations forces aimed at deeply buried nuclear material at Iran’s heavily fortified Isfahan facility. The report says several hundred Special Operations personnel were forward‑deployed to the Middle East earlier this year to preserve that option; administration officials acknowledged such a strike would carry “big risks of casualties.”
Tehran has publicly pushed back. Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf warned that Iranian forces are prepared to respond to any aggression, saying on social media, “Our armed forces are ready to deliver a well‑deserved response to any aggression.”
Intelligence and defense assessments cited in recent weeks have recorded a marked increase in US military readiness across the Gulf, focused on protecting international maritime traffic and countering Iranian actions in the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway is strategically critical—nearly one‑fifth of global oil passes through it—so any prolonged disruption would immediately unsettle energy markets.
Analysts have also referenced a planning framework called “Operation Sledgehammer” as part of the contingency work. The White House has not confirmed any imminent kinetic strike. Publicly, President Trump has kept a two‑track posture: warning Iran it could face “a very bad time” if diplomacy fails, while suggesting a negotiated settlement remains possible.
China and Russia have urged immediate de‑escalation and the reopening of Gulf shipping lanes as global oil prices fluctuate amid the uncertainty. (ANI)
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