EXCLUSIVE: U.S. Military Tells Key Middle East Ally to Prepare for Attack on Iran

Senior U.S. military officials have informed the leadership of a key American ally in the Middle East that President Donald Trump could authorize a U.S. military strike on Iran as early as this weekend, according to multiple sources who spoke to Drop Site News. The ally was told that if Washington decides to proceed, strikes could begin as soon as Sunday.

“This isn’t about nuclear weapons or missiles. This is about regime change,” said a former senior U.S. intelligence official who advises several Arab governments and serves as an informal consultant to the Trump administration on Middle East policy. According to the official, U.S. war planners are considering attacks on Iran’s nuclear, ballistic missile, and broader military infrastructure, while also seeking to decapitate the Iranian leadership—particularly the command structure of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The IRGC, formed after Iran’s 1979 revolution, is a powerful branch of the Iranian armed forces whose leadership plays a central role in Iran’s political and economic life. The Trump administration believes that a successful strike on senior Iranian leadership could trigger mass protests inside Iran and ultimately lead to the collapse of the government, the former intelligence official said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “is hoping for an attack,” the official added, claiming Netanyahu has assured Trump that Israel could help facilitate the installation of a Western-aligned government in Tehran. Two senior Arab intelligence officials separately confirmed to Drop Site that they had been warned a U.S. strike could be “imminent.”

The briefing comes as regional governments scramble to prevent a war through last-minute diplomatic efforts. On Friday, Iran’s foreign minister met with Turkish officials to explore a possible diplomatic off-ramp. Regional actors have been attempting to establish backchannel talks, including a potential trilateral meeting involving Iranian, American, and Turkish representatives, in an effort to forestall military action.

Saudi Arabia has ruled out allowing its airspace to be used for a U.S. attack on Iran, according to a phone call Tuesday between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, as reported by Saudi state media. The United Arab Emirates similarly announced Monday that it would not permit its airspace or territorial waters to be used in any military operation against Iran.

U.S. Central Command declined to comment. The White House referred Drop Site to Trump’s remarks in the Oval Office on Friday, where he said the U.S. has a “large armada, flotilla—call it whatever you want—heading towards Iran,” while declining to confirm whether Iran had been given a deadline to reach an agreement.

Iranian officials have warned that a U.S. attack would trigger a wide-ranging regional war. “If such a miscalculation is made by the Americans, it will certainly not unfold the way Trump imagines,” said Brig. Gen. Mohammad Akraminia, Iran’s military spokesperson, on Iranian state television. “The scope of war will extend across the entire region—from the Zionist regime to countries hosting American military bases. All will be within range of our missiles and drones.”

Iran has repeatedly stated that any attempt to assassinate its leadership would result in unprecedented retaliation against U.S. military bases, regional oil infrastructure, and Israel. During testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that between 30,000 and 40,000 U.S. troops are stationed at bases across the region and could be vulnerable to Iranian drones and short-range ballistic missiles.

Since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, Iran has largely exercised restraint, often telegraphing retaliatory strikes in advance to avoid escalation. After Israeli attacks—including the July 2024 assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh at an IRGC facility—Iran communicated through backchannels before launching limited missile and drone strikes on Israel. A similar pattern followed U.S. attacks on Iranian nuclear facilities during the 12-day war in June 2025, when Iran retaliated with a pre-announced strike on a U.S. base in Qatar.

Iranian officials say that policy has now changed. Dr. Foad Izadi, a professor at the University of Tehran, told Drop Site that previous Iranian military leaders deliberately warned the U.S. ahead of retaliatory strikes in an effort to avoid a broader war. “The idea was to ride out the Trump administration,” Izadi said. “They chose limited responses to avoid escalation. And they were killed in June,” during the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign.

According to Izadi, Iran’s new military leadership believes that strategy failed to deter further attacks. “The number I hear is at least 500 American soldiers,” he said. “That is the level of casualties they believe is necessary if Iran is attacked again. You cannot have a country under constant threat of military strikes every other week.”

The revelation that the U.S. has warned a regional ally of an imminent strike comes as diplomatic efforts continue. Speaking Friday in Istanbul alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran is willing to resume talks with Washington—but not under the threat of force.

Araghchi said no direct talks with the U.S. are currently scheduled and confirmed that Iran has prepared for war if attacked. He warned that any conflict would likely spread across the region. He also rejected U.S. demands to curb Iran’s missile program.

“Iran’s defensive and missile capabilities will never be subject to negotiations,” Araghchi said. “We will preserve and expand our defensive capacity to whatever extent is necessary.”

He concluded by reiterating that Iran remains open to diplomacy, saying the country is prepared both for war and for “fair and equitable negotiations.”

Source: Drop Site News