Trump weighs three military options as Iranian Supreme Leader declares 'the battle begins' and warns Israel about 'great surprise… that the world will remember for centuries'
Iran 's Supreme Leader issued a series of apocalyptic warnings as US President Donald Trump weighs three military options for the US in the ongoing war.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei threatened Israel on Tuesday night with disturbing post of an image that showed balls of fire raining down upon an ancient city as a sword-wielding man storms the gate.
'In the name of the noble Haidar, the battle begins,' he wrote in Farsi, referring to Ali - whom Shia Muslims consider the first Imam and the rightful successor to the prophet Mohammed.
Khamenei also shared a separate message in English, saying: 'We must give a strong response to the terrorist Zionist regime.'
He added: 'We will show the Zionists no mercy.'
Meanwhile, Iranian state television ominously reported that 'tonight, a great surprise will occur - one that the world will remember for centuries.'
Amid the threats, Trump is said to be considering a US strike on Tehran following Situation Room crisis talks with security advisers.
Trump was given three options by advisors about how the should largest military in history should assist Israel in demolishing Iran's nuclear program, according to The New York Times.
Khamenei also warned Iran 'will show the Zionists no mercy'
For months Trump had tried to convince Netanyahu to use diplomacy with Iran.
But while meeting with top advisors at the presidential retreat at Camp David earlier this month, he admitted: 'I think we might have to help him.'
That's when Trump was provided with three military options to assist Israel in their bombing campaign against Iran's nuclear threat, the Times said.
The first and most basic option was the US providing intelligence and jets for refueling Israeli airplanes on bombing missions along.
The second option included American and Israeli joint strikes on Iran.
The most hawkish option provided a plan for a US-led military campaign that included B-1 and B-2 bombers, aircraft carriers and 'cruise missiles launched from submarines,' the Times reported.
Four U.S. B-52 Stratofortress bombers have already been stationed at the Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean - within striking distance of Iran.
The B-52s, which can carry nuclear weapons or other precision-guided bombs, were spotted on a runway at Diego Garcia on Monday.
While those were being deployed, Trump urged Iran's 'UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER' and even issued a death threat to Khamenei after he abruptly left the G7 summit in Canada.
He said the US knows where the Supreme Leader is hiding out, but doesn't want him killed 'for now.'
'We know exactly where the so-called "Supreme Leader" is hiding,' the U.S. President wrote on Truth Social.
'He is an easy target, but is safe there - We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now.
'But we don't want missiles shot at civilians, or American soldiers. Our patience is wearing thin,' Trump warned following reports that he nixed an Israeli request to take out Khamenei.
The president also spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, though it remains unclear what the two world leaders discussed as drone strikes between Israel and Iran continued for a fifth consecutive day.
Both Israel and Iran launched fresh strikes at each other overnight, as Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it launched a 'more powerful' new wave of missiles at Israel.
Yet Gen. Abdul Rahim Mousavi, the commander in chief of Iran's army, claimed that all of the attacks 'carried out so far have been solely for the purpose of warning and deterrence.
'The punishment operation will be carried out soon,' he warned.
Residents in Tel Aviv have already been seen running for shelter as missiles rained down on the city and the Iron Dome sprang into action.
At the same time, Israel's military said it killed Iran's wartime chief of staff and carried out extensive strikes on Iranian military targets.
The International Atomic Energy Agency even reported that there appears to have been a 'direct impact' on Iran's Natanz nuclear facility.
The hostilities first erupted on Friday, when Israel launched a massive pre-emptive strike on Iran, hitting nuclear and military facilities and killing top military brass and nuclear scientists.
Iran has claimed its nuclear program is peaceful, and the US and others have assessed that Tehran has not had an organized effort to pursue a nuclear weapon since 2003.
But the IAEA has repeatedly warned that the country already has enough enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs.
US President Trump has repeatedly argued that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon - and members of his administration were set to meet with their Iranian counterparts to iron out a new deal in which the country would not develop any nuclear weapons in exchange for sanctions relief when Israel attacked.
Trump has since said he does not believe Israel will slow its assault on Iran, as Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the US, said 'this is the war to end wars'.
'This is the war to engender peace in the Middle East,' he added. Harking back to the audacious bombs-in-pagers plot against Hezbollah last year, Mr Leiter said: 'We've pulled off a number of surprises.
'When the dust settles, you're going to see some surprises on Thursday night and Friday, that will make the beeper operation almost seem simple.'
Foreign affairs minister Gideon Sa'ar also noted that Israel's goals were to severely damage the nuclear program, the ballistic missile program and to 'severely damage Iran's plans to eliminate the state of Israel.'
Israel would be greatly helped in those efforts if the United States did get involved, as American GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs are capable of striking deep underground - raising the possibility it could penetrate the Fordow nuclear enrichment site, buried deep in a mountain south of Tehran.
The United States also already has a Carrier Strike Group in the eastern Mediterranean, including an aircraft carrier, the USS Carl Vinson, with nine squadrons of fighter jets, as well as frigates and destroyers.
And as Trump continues to deliberate on his options - after previously saying it was 'possible' that the United States get involved in the regional conflict - the Pentagon has sent more than 40 additional US jets to the UK and Europe.
They are thought to include stealth bombers and air-to-air refuelers - which could be critical for any operation in the Middle East.
The USS Nimitz aircraft carrier group also headed to the region from the South China Sea Monday.
Vice President JD Vance has since issued comments that appear to brace Trump supporters for possible military action.
'He may decide he needs to take further action to end Iranian enrichment,' Vance said. 'That decision ultimately belongs to the president.'
Vance also praised Trump for taking 'remarkable restraint' in focusing American troops on the defense of American interests in the Middle East.
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