Senior Iranian officials believe the United States is planning either further military strikes or an increasingly tight economic squeeze, according to The Guardian's report on the Iranian assessment. The newspaper's headline attributes the planning to Trump. The article was written by Patrick Wintour, the paper's diplomatic editor, and reports that the officials believe either option could push Tehran into retaliatory action.
The Guardian said the assessment comes from Mehdi Mohammadi, an adviser to Iran's chief negotiator in talks with the United States, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. The paper described Mohammadi as a regime adviser.
According to The Guardian, Mohammadi warned that Tehran could be forced into "pre-emptive strikes" if the stalemate continues. The summary does not say what the stalemate involves in detail or what any Iranian action would target.
The Guardian's summary describes the economic pressure as steadily tightening and presents the two scenarios as the officials' view of American intentions, not as a confirmed United States plan. The summary does not say what form any further strikes might take or when they might occur.
The Guardian's summary does not include a response from Washington to the assessment. The account here draws only on the headline and summary of the article, because the full text was not available for this report.
Sources: The Guardian: Trump planning new military assault or tighter sanctions, say Iranian officials.