Donald Trump has been handed a series of "options" in the event he orders an attack on Iran.
With aircraft carriers, drones and various other military assets steaming towards the Middle East - though not via British bases - it appears the President may soon take action.
Overnight, close Trump allies revealed the Pentagon had presented him with a list of ideas.
"They have something for every scenario," one adviser told Axios.
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"One scenario takes out the Ayatollah and his son and the mullahs (the Shiite clergy in the Islamic Republic)," they said.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's son Mojtaba is seen as a potential successor to lead the Western adversary.
The insider continued: "What the President chooses, no one knows. I don't think he knows."
Another source revealed a plan to take out the Ayatollah and his son was first floated to Mr Trump several weeks ago.
"Trump is keeping his options open. He could decide on an attack at any moment," another ally revealed.
Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's son Mojtaba is seen as a potential successor to lead Iran
|GETTY
'One scenario takes out the Ayatollah and his son and the mullahs,' one source said
|GETTY
Publicly, the White House has said the same.
"The media may continue to speculate on the President's thinking all they want, but only President Trump knows what he may or may not do," spokeswoman Anna Kelly said.
Further officials told Reuters that America's military plans for Iran had reached an advanced stage - again with options including targeting individuals as part of an attack and pursuing leadership change in Tehran.
On Thursday, the President issued Tehran a deadline of 10 to 15 days to make a deal and resolve the two countries' nuclear dispute.
He said the country would face "really bad things" if it failed.
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'Only President Trump knows what he may or may not do,' the White House said
|GETTY
PICTURED: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fighters stand in formation at an exercise in southern Iran | REUTERS
Iranian ships shut down the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, closing the passage for the first time since the 1980s | REUTERSThe next day, when asked whether he was considering a limited strike to pressure Iran into a deal, Mr Trump told reporters at the White House: "I guess I can say I am considering" it.
However, the US could also consider another "option" - handing Iran "token" nuclear enrichment, but only if it leaves no possible path to the country developing a bomb.
Iran currently cannot enrich uranium after the US and Israel destroyed the centrifuges in its nuclear facilities last June.
Both countries have threatened to strike again if Iran starts enriching again.
The Ayatollah has flat-out said that Iran will not give up its right to enrichment - which may lie behind the US push for regime change.
PICTURED: Satellite images showing Iran rebuilding its nuclear sites after US and Israeli strikes last June
|REUTERS
Raphael Grossi, the UN nuclear watchdog chief, has suggested "technical measures" to make sure Iran's nuclear programme cannot "be diverted to non-peaceful purposes".
These could include a return of UN inspectors to Iran, and the removal or dilution of around half a tonne of highly-enriched uranium buried below the nuclear facilities by last summer's bombing raids.
Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said after talks this week with US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Mr Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner that the two sides had reached an understanding on "guiding principles".
However, that did not mean a deal was imminent.
Mr Araqchi, in an interview on MS NOW, said he had a draft counterproposal that could be ready in the next two or three days for top Iranian officials to review.
But he warned any US military action would complicate efforts to reach a deal.
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