Name: How close is Trump to attacking Iran? | BBC News
Uploaded: 2026-02-21T21:52:26.000Z
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Welcome to the global News Podcast on YouTube where we go behind the headlines.

Today we're looking at the rapid buildup of US Warships within striking distance of Iran as Donald Trump threatens to attack if Tehran does not do a deal within 10 days.

We're joined by Merlin Thomas from BBCVerify.

Merlin, you've been tracking this buildup for days.

We've been tracking this buildup of US Military assets in the region for weeks now.

And, and now we've seen that they are within striking capability of Iran.

And the latest asset we've seen arrive into the theatre is the USS Gerald R. Ford.

Now, this is the world's largest warship, and

early this week it briefly broadcast its location off the coast of Morocco.

But today we've actually confirmed that it's crossed through the Strait of Gibraltar into the Mediterranean.

And we know that because we've confirmed it using pictures from someone who sent it to us from Gibraltar that we verified.

You can the warship against the mountains of the Gibraltar as well.

And then we've also confirmed one of its destroyers on marine traffic data as well.

So we know that it's arrived into the theater as well.

But this is the second aircraft carrier that we've confirmed the location of just this week alone.

So early this week, we also found that the Abraham Lincoln is in the Arabian sea.

It's about 240km off the coast of Oman, again within striking distance of Iran.

Ford and the Abraham Lincoln lead strike groups of several large destroyer warships with thousands of crew personnel, as well as dozens of aircraft as well.

Of course, the Gerald Ford was the aircraft carrier that was used in the operation against Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.

It's a really good question because in some ways it's like comparing apples and oranges because that operation was completely different.

And many people wouldn't even have predicted that that was going to happen in the way that it did.

They were using their own air bases, they were relying on air bases on its own continent.

And the intention of the operation as well was to capture the President.

And that was a very unique operation which experts have called audacious in many respect.

But this is a completely different level because the type of military capability that experts say is in play is something really, really significant.

So if you compare it with the operation last year, Midnight Hammer, that was a very coordinated but very specific and targeted attack, which was very short and limited.

So that involved B2 bombers flying over from air bases in Missouri.

And at the time we were tracking that event there as well, that oper.

And initially we had been watching the space to see what was in play.

And so we were looking at air bases in Diego Garcia.

But in fact we were looking in the completely wrong place because it was an unexpected attack that was coordinated in a very different way.

This, experts say, is much more different.

So this is a sustained attack with the capability to go much deeper and much longer.

So, for example, we're seeing much more capability.

Experts have said that it's possible that they could carry out 800 strikes a day, which would render any kind of Iranian response essentially ineffective because we don't actually know what they're planning to do.

It could be an all out response of the sort you're talking about.

But could they also do something similar to what they did in Venezuela, something much more surgical?

It would be much more difficult for them to do that.

For example, they would have to have possibly ground support.

And there's no indication as of yet that that is what's going to happen.

But what is clear is they have deployed in a way that means that they can scale up or down.

So it could be that President Trump is just using this as a deterrent, trying to say, look, we are able to attack you and if you aren't willing to come to the negotiating table and give us what we want, then we will carry out some sort of strike.

But other way it could be seen, experts say, is that they could launch a full blown offensive and we could see something much more significant than the sort of strikes that were carried out last year.

Just tell us a bit more about the military capability that is on board these warships.

They have several, dozens of missiles, destroyers.

And it's worth saying, you know, we've only mentioned the aircraft carriers, but

there's also fighter jets that have been deployed to Jordan.

There are destroyers that have been deployed to the eastern Mediterranean, Bahrain, several other air bases in the region.

So he said that there is, they have probably about 10 days to decide whether or not they come to the table and make a nuclear deal or whether they carry out military action.

It's worth saying that he said that previously as well.

So he said that just a few days ago and he's repeated the 10 days timeline again.

Iran have responded and have said that they will view any kind of attack as complete aggression, any kind of striker's aggression as an attack.

And they are out in force trying to show that they will respond.

So they're carrying out naval drills, practice maritime drills, operations with Russia, and

they've also done practice kind of operations in the Strait of Hormuz to show that they have the capability to respond.

Because from the outside, it does look a little bit like David and Goliath.

I mean, they don't, many experts say they don't have the capability to respond to the kind of attack that's sustained, that has the depth and has the power that the US has so far kind of lined up.

It's kind of, we've been talking about this for a while now.

It's a waiting game and it's a question of timing as well.

President Trump said that he may consider military action during the protests that were carried out by Iranian protesters in January.

Now those protests have appeared to die down.

And the intention for what President Trump has for Iran has possibly changed.

Previously, he said he wanted to carry out an attack because he wanted to save the protesters.

So what President Trump wants from this operation still remains to be seen.

Operation Midnight Hammer was supposed to have destroyed the nuclear program.

I know you have tracking all sorts of data.

Do we have any information as to whether it did?

We've looked at satellite imagery and we've seen that a lot of those nuclear sites that were in the initial attack in Operation Midnight Hammer have now been kind of sealed up.

Those tunnels have been covered over with various forms of protection sand, for example.

And so those nuclear sites are obviously within the realm of possibility as places of attack.

But many are saying that that isn't where this attack may go.

This may be more focused on other physical personnel, people of high value.

But also those nuclear sites could be within realm of possibility.

But clearly the Iranian government, the Iranian state have, they've planned for that and they are protecting themselves.

And they've already tried to seal up those tunnels, those entrances to facilities exactly in preparation for that sort of thing.

Merlin Thomas from BBCVerify we'd love it if you subscribe to us here on YouTube in all the usual ways.

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