As US naval strike force sails near Iran, Trump faces ‘no easy levers’ against Tehran

With the recent arrival of a US Navy aircraft carrier task force in the Middle East near Iran, President Donald Trump is set to have all the military assets in place needed to launch a war against Tehran by the end of this week. While a last-minute diplomatic breakthrough is still on Washington’s cards, Trump may soon have to pick one of the plans drawn up by the Pentagon to meet his desired outcomes – none of which have been made public. Washington has maintained diplomatic backchannels open...