US Forces Recall Memorial Day Leave as Strike Window on Iran Reopens
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Trump administration is actively preparing for a fresh round of military strikes against Iran, according to CBS News and Axios reporting confirmed Friday. President Trump canceled personal plans, US military and intelligence officials recalled Memorial Day weekend leave, and Air Force refueling aircraft repositioned eastward over the Middle East. No final strike decision had been reached as of Friday evening, and Pakistani mediator Field Marshal Asim Munir remained in Tehran, but Iran's diplomatic team publicly declared talks on enriched uranium irreparably broken.
ANALYSIS
The Trump administration convened a National Security Council meeting Friday morning attended by Vice President Vance, Defense Secretary Hegseth, CIA Director Ratcliffe, and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. Secretary of State Rubio was absent, attending a NATO summit in Europe, and Joint Chiefs Chairman General Dan Caine attended the Naval Academy graduation. Sources close to the administration told Axios that Trump shifted from leaning toward diplomacy on Tuesday to leaning toward a strike by Thursday night, with one source describing the possibility of a "decisive" final military operation designed to allow the president to declare victory.
Trump canceled attendance at his son's graduation and a planned golf trip to New Jersey, returning instead to the White House where a press lid was announced Friday evening. Some US military and intelligence officers canceled Memorial Day plans in anticipation of possible action. US Air Force KC-135R and KC-46A tanker aircraft were spotted heading east toward the Arabian Gulf from the Tel Aviv area, consistent with pre-strike aerial refueling staging.
On the diplomatic track, the US transmitted its latest proposal to Iran on Wednesday via Pakistan, accompanied by an explicit warning that rejection would mean resumed strikes. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei stated publicly on Friday that talks on highly enriched uranium had broken down due to what he called irresolvable differences. Baghaei added that no other issues would be negotiated until the question of ending the war on all fronts, including in Lebanon, was resolved. The Qatari delegation, which had been conducting parallel track talks with Iranian FM Abbas Araghchi, departed Tehran Friday afternoon; Iranian Air Force jets escorted the Qatari aircraft out of Iranian airspace.
Iran issued a NOTAM closing western Iranian airspace until Monday morning, with only daytime civilian flights permitted. The Iranian Air Force scrambled a large number of fighters from Mehrabad Airport in Tehran, with additional activity reported over Karaj and Qazvin provinces west of the capital. UAE authorities, independently, imposed widespread GPS jamming over Dubai, Ajman, Sharjah, Fujairah, and portions of Abu Dhabi, including Zayed International Airport, as a precautionary defensive measure. Separately, an Iranian military source told Tasnim News Agency that the armed forces have prepared what they described as a "third phase" response for any US attack, involving new weapons, new tactics, and potentially broader regional operations beyond the Strait of Hormuz.
SOURCES
