Countdown to American strike on Iran: Mossad chief in the US as military stands ready

The countdown to an American strike on Iran appears to have already begun. Indeed, Israeli intelligence services have concluded that, despite the US previously backing down, an American military attack could take place within the coming days.

Mossad chief in the US

As revealed by Axios, the director of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, David Barnea, is currently in the US for talks regarding the situation in Iran. Barnea's visit is part of the US-Israel consultations concerning the protests in Iran and potential US military action in response to the regime's crackdown. According to the same reports, Barnea will meet in Miami with White House envoy Steve Witkoff, who manages the direct communication channel between the US and Iran. At the same time, Witkoff has been in contact with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during the protests. However, it is not ruled out that Barnea may meet with American President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago over the weekend.

Trump-Netanyahu communication

Barnea's trip follows a telephone conversation on Wednesday (January 14, 2026) between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu regarding the Iranian crisis. Netanyahu reportedly asked Trump to delay military action against Iran to allow Israel more time to prepare for a possible Iranian retaliation. An Israeli source stated that, beyond concerns over retaliation, the current US plan involves attacks on Iranian security force targets, but Israel does not consider this strong enough to substantially destabilize the regime. "American officials say military action remains on the table if Iran resumes the killing of protesters. Israeli officials believe that, despite the delay, an American military attack could take place in the coming days," Axios reports.

US military deploys forces

Meanwhile, the US military is sending additional defensive and offensive forces to the region to be ready in case Trump orders an attack, American sources say. The aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and its strike group are heading to the Middle East from the South China Sea. Furthermore, more air defense systems, fighter jets, and possibly submarines are also expected to arrive in the region.

The 50 US military targets in Iran

Moreover, a classified map with 50 high-value military targets in Iran, accompanied by precise geographic coordinates, is currently at the White House, fueling scenarios of immediate military escalation. Specifically, according to Daily Mail information, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), a Washington-based non-profit organization, compiled a dossier of 50 targets and delivered it to White House officials in the early hours of Monday (January 12, 2026). The document reveals the exact coordinates of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) headquarters, the nerve center of the violent suppression of protesters. This specific headquarters essentially functions as the military's operational center, exercising control over police forces as well.

The target list includes four key sub-headquarters overseeing different areas of the capital:

• The Quds Sub-Headquarters, responsible for suppression operations in northern and northwestern Tehran,

• The Fath Sub-Headquarters in the southwest,

• The Nasr Sub-Headquarters in the northeast,

• The Ghadr Sub-Headquarters, controlling southeastern and central Tehran.

By identifying these specific facilities and structures, the American military would now possess a complete blueprint of the IRGC's capabilities to coordinate the violent suppression of protests. "The cycle of protests and repression will continue unless the balance of power between unarmed Iranian protesters and the regime's fully equipped apparatus of repression changes," Kasra Aarabi, Director of IRGC Research at UANI, told the Daily Mail. Beyond the main command centers, the dossier reveals a hidden infrastructure across Tehran serving as the core command network for the regime's most extreme units, coordinating intelligence, policing, and psychological operations. The targets include 23 regional IRGC-Basij bases, each located in one of Tehran's 22 municipal districts. The Basij house the IRGC's domestic militia, known for its brutality. The UANI list also includes the operational units leading the violent crackdown, including two key brigades:

• The Aaleh-e Mohammad Security Brigade, based in northeastern Tehran,

• The Al-Zahra Security Brigade, in the southeast of the city.

US to attack with Tomahawks, aircraft, and bombers

At the same time, according to Wall Street Journal information, the US may carry out a military strike against Iran using Tomahawk missiles from cruisers stationed in the Middle East, as well as fighter jets that can reach targets from bases in the US and abroad. "If Trump decides to approve strikes against Iran, the Pentagon can order attacks with Tomahawk missiles from cruisers stationed in the Middle East, as well as deploy fighter jets based in the region and bombers capable of reaching Iran from their bases in the US," the report highlights.

The 1953 coup and the role of CIA - Mossad

However, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić made a shocking statement regarding the events taking place in Iran, directly recalling the 1953 coup and stating that "Mossad and the CIA are involved in the protests exactly as they were then." It is recalled that the 1953 coup was the violent overthrow of the democratically elected Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. The operation was orchestrated by the United States and Great Britain and executed as a military coup. The coup had been planned by the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and British intelligence (MI6) under the code name Operation AJAX since late 1952. For this purpose, a vast network of politicians, businessmen, religious figures, and high-ranking military officials was utilized. Operation Ajax marked the first time the United States overthrew a foreign democratically elected government. This event deeply scarred not only Iran but the entire Middle East, setting a critical precedent for subsequent interventions, from the 1954 coup in Guatemala to the overthrow of Salvador Allende in Chile.

The CIA's admission and US involvement in Iran

In August 2013, following the declassification of its archives, the CIA officially admitted its involvement in the coup. The documents confirmed the bribery of Iranian politicians and high-ranking officials, as well as large-scale propaganda operations, which were characterized as "foreign policy actions" approved at the highest levels. Earlier, former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright recognized that the coup was "a setback for Iran's political development." Although the events of 1953 were officially presented as an effort to save the country from communism, in practice, they aimed to maintain the international oil cartel. Having become prime name minister on April 29, 1951, Mohammad Mosaddegh began the nationalization of Iranian oil, removing from the West control of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, the predecessor of BP. Britain responded with an economic embargo and covert political actions aimed at toppling the Iranian government. After British workers left the oil fields on September 20, London even considered the possibility of a military invasion of the Abadan refineries, but President Harry Truman's refusal to support the operation forced the abandonment of those plans. The coup resulted in the formation of a military administration under General Fazlollah Zahedi and the return to power of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who ruled the country until the 1954 Islamic Revolution. Mohammad Mosaddegh was convicted of "high treason" and sentenced to three years in prison, after which he was placed under house arrest until his death. Several of his associates were also convicted, while Foreign Minister Hossein Fatemi was executed by the regime of Fazlollah Zahedi.

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