Trump Options To Strike Iran Reportedly Include Targeting Regime Individuals

latintimes.com · Feb 20, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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AFP President Donald Trump's options to strike Iran include targeting regime individuals, according to a new report.Citing two sources familiar with the matter, Reuters detailed that Washington could also pursue regime change if Trump gives the order.The Wall Street Journal also detailed that Trump is considering a limited strike on Iran to force the regime into accepting a nuclear deal.The strike would target military or government sites but fall short of a full-scale attack that could trigger a major retaliation.Should that scenario take place and Tehran still refused to comply with Washington's demands, Trump could order a broader campaign that could potentially seek to overthrow the regime.The outlet noted that it is not clear how seriously Trump is considering the option, and the latest discussions have focused on larger-scale campaigns.Trump said he will make a decision regarding whether to strike Iran "over the next probably 10 days." "We may have to take a step further or we may not," he said during an address at an event inaugurating the Board of Peace on Thursday.In this context, a former top commander said that the military assets the U.S. has amassed in the Middle East could wipe out Iran's power structure in a matter of hours.The claim was made to the Jerusalem Post by Vice Admiral (Ret.) Bob Harward, the former deputy commander of the US Central Command, which has the Middle East under its area of responsibility.Harward said President Donald Trump has "illustrated" that he "does what he says," and "now he has positioned the assets for a military action." "If he cannot meet the objectives regarding the nuclear and ballistic missile program, he's willing to go beyond mediation and act," he added.Elsewhere in the interview, Harward detailed how strikes could be conducted if the order is given. He said the priority would be "bottom-up," meaning that the first wave would target strategic missile locations and launchers, which are the direct threats to U.S. forces and Israel.They would go on to neutralize targets outside the country that could also pose a risk of retaliation and then aim at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps."This is to provide the Iranian people a change in government, so I think those types of targets will not be hit. It will be focused only on the things that enable the regime and the IRGC to suppress the people," Harward said.© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.