The head of US Central Command said on Tuesday that he has provided President Donald Trump with options that could be used against Iran if Tehran and Washington fail to reach a new nuclear deal.
The US and Iran are in continuing discussions over a new deal that would put limits on Tehran's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. The talks are expected to continue this week.
“I have provided the Secretary of Defence and the President a wide range of options,” Gen Michael Kurilla told a House Armed Services Committee hearing.
Asked if the US Central Command, the military command responsible for promoting and defending US interests in the Middle East, was prepared to respond with “overwhelming force” to prevent Iran from building a nuclear weapon, Gen Kurilla responded “yes”.
He added later that he was “in all favour of having a negotiated settlement that prevents Iran from getting a nuclear weapon because of the consequences of conflict”.
His comments come amid reports that Israel was finalising plans to strike nuclear sites in the country – a threat Israel has been making for months. In May, Mr Trump said that he had warned Israel against such a move.
“I think it would increase risk to our forces in the region,” Gen Kurilla said of a potential Israeli attack.
Gen Kurilla, in his final appearance before Congress ahead of leaving his post this month, also criticised Iran for continuing to arm Yemen's Houthis.
“Right now that the Iranian proxies are at one of the weakest levels they've been, with the decimation, of the disintegration of Hezbollah Hamas. However, the Houthis, the biggest challenge with the Houthis is they are being provided with Iranian weapons,” Gen Kurilla said.
Gen Kurilla said that Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps experts were in the country to help the Houthis assemble and learn to use the weapons. The “vast majority” of weapons are coming into the country on “stateless dhows” or on container ships heading to Djibouti, where the UN has a mechanism in place to inspects
“So this is going to be a challenge going forward. We have got to stop the flow of the weapons into Yemen.”
On Gaza, Gen Kurilla said the US military was not actively engaged in aid delivery and distribution in the war-ravaged enclave.
“Israel has contracted an American company that is doing the distribution inside of Gaza. Hamas hates that, because Hamas no longer has control over that distribution,” he said.
The US and Israel have claimed that Hamas has been hijacking aid meant for Palestinians in Gaza. After Israel enacted an aid blockade of the enclave following the collapse of a ceasefire in March, the US announced the foundation of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which would be responsible for delivering assistance.
The UN and other aid organisations have been sidelined by the US-backed project, which has been plagued by violence at its distribution sites that local authorities have blamed on Israeli troops.
