'Axios': CENTCOM halts all strikes against Iran to 'avoid escalation' before elections

Washington – Agencies: U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States might have to target the “Peaks Mountain” facility, a site linked to Iran’s nuclear program, as part of efforts to ensure Tehran does not acquire a nuclear weapon. In an interview with Newsmax, Trump also stated he would not use a nuclear weapon in the war against Iran, which began in February with U.S.-Israeli strikes. Trump told the network that “their nuclear facilities are buried under mountains weighing millions of tons. We are currently looking at Peaks Mountain. We may have to... We will try to target this site. We will destroy it quickly.” The U.S. president said there is no need to use a nuclear bomb and reiterated that he is not considering deploying U.S. ground forces in Iran.

Axios reported that U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) has largely halted strikes against Iranian anti-ship missile launch platforms and attack drones in the Strait area over recent weeks, at the White House’s direction to “avoid escalation” ahead of the midterm elections. A U.S. official was quoted as saying the suspension of strikes “has made Iran more bold” in launching attacks. The site added that U.S. officials believe Iran is intensifying attacks on ships to raise oil prices and pressure President Donald Trump before the elections, while CENTCOM fears this could deter shipping companies from transiting the strait, reducing oil exports and driving up prices.

Meanwhile, U.S. Central Command Commander Brad Cooper said the U.S. naval blockade on Iran has prevented it from exporting crude oil worth at least $25 billion, noting that the Iranian government is withholding salaries, pensions, and payments from public sector employees, including internal security forces and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In a video clip, he added, “The financial distress suffered by the Iranian military is so severe that reports indicate armed groups allied with Iran across the region are withholding their fighters’ salaries to redirect funds to the IRGC, which itself is not paying its soldiers’ wages.” He revealed that CENTCOM, in cooperation with other U.S. entities, contributed to freezing cryptocurrency assets linked to Iran worth approximately $350 million.

On another note, Cooper attributed the sharp rise in Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz to “despair” within the IRGC. He stated that the Strait remains open despite these attacks, with 400 ships and 100 million barrels of oil transiting it during the past week.