Iran is using the ceasefire with the U.S. and Israel to retrieve missiles and other weapons buried underground during hostilities, according to a new report.
Citing people familiar with the matter, NBC News detailed that Tehran is looking to rebuild its military capabilities should hostilities resume. The ceasefire does not have a deadline even though negotiations are deadlocked.
U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) commander, Admiral Brad Cooper, was scheduled to brief Trump and members of his national security team on options to break the standstill, including a "short and powerful" military action. The president is expected to make a decision in the following days.
The U.S. military is also considering sending a hypersonic missile to the Middle East, according to another report. CENTCOM made the request after determining that Iran has moved missile launchers out of the range of its Precision Strike missile, a person familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.
The New York Post noted that, should the request be approved, it would be the first time the U.S. deploys a hypersonic missile, which has not yet been declared as fully operational.
The Dark Eagle has a reported range of 1,725 miles and is made for "long range conventional precision strike capability" against "time-sensitive and heavily defended targets."
Elsewhere in the report, Bloomberg detailed that each missile costs $15 million and there are less than ten, with batteries costing about $2.7 billion.
So far Trump has opted for maintaining the blockade of Iranian ports until a deal that addresses the U.S.'s concerns about the country's nuclear program is reached.
Speaking to Axios, Trump said he rejected an Iranian proposal to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz without a nuclear deal. He said the ongoing blockade is "somewhat more effective than the bombing."
"They are choking like a stuffed pig. And it is going to be worse for them. They can't have a nuclear weapon," Trump said. "They want to settle. They don't want me to keep the blockade. I don't want to [lift the blockade], because I don't want them to have a nuclear weapon," he added.
Trump claimed that Tehran's oil storage facilities and pipelines are "getting close to exploding" because the country can't ship exports as a result of the blockade.
Iran, in turn, said the U.S.'s blockade of its ports is "doomed to fail." Tehran has also threatened "unprecedented military action" if the U.S. continues with the blockade.
Citing an unnamed official, Iranian state-run press said its leaders' "patience has limits" and a continued blockade would warrant a "punishing response."
Originally published on IBTimes
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