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The Trump administration is reportedly on the verge of attacking Iran in order to force Islamic Republic officials to agree to President Donald Trump’s demands for a nuclear deal, and to potentially push for regime change, which could spark a disastrous, protracted war.

U.S. officials have provided no evidence for an imminent threat — the only legal justification for the use of military force under international law — from Iran.

In the past few weeks, the U.S. has built up a military force likened to that of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. The Pentagon has sent two aircraft carriers – including the world’s largest warship, the USS Gerald R. Ford – to the Mediterranean in preparation for the attack, alongside an arsenal of more than 120 aircraft, drones, and combat ships.

Trump told reporters on Friday that he is considering a supposedly limited strike to coerce Iranian officials into agreeing to a nuclear deal. “I guess I can say I am considering that,” he said.

Reports citing those familiar with the administration’s talks have found that the U.S. is prepared to carry out a strike as early as this weekend, and that the limited strike scenario would come within the next few days.

Trump’s Iran Strikes Reveal We’re in a New Era of Manufacturing Consent

Trump said this week that he’s giving Iran 10 to 15 days to strike a deal. However, Trump had given Iran a two-week deadline to strike a deal last June, just days before the administration struck nuclear facilities in Iran and killed over 1,000 people, including hundreds of civilians.

The rationale for striking Iran this time is even less clear. The White House is following a similar script as it did before the attack last year, banging the drum about Iran’s nuclear capabilities. But the current escalation comes as the Trump administration continues to insist that it has, in fact, already obliterated Iran’s nuclear facilities — contradicting their own stated rationale for the war.

This contradiction was clearest on Wednesday, when Press Secretary........

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