Washington, March 1 : US President Donald Trumpâ??s decision to launch sweeping military strikes on Iran followed weeks of diplomacy, intelligence briefings, and pressure from regional allies, according to detailed accounts by major US media outlets.

The Wall Street Journal reported that Israeli and US intelligence agencies had â??long watched and waited for a rare opportunityâ?? when senior Iranian political and military leaders were gathered in one place. Intelligence officers had identified â??not just one meeting but threeâ?? and had a fix on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Iranâ??s top decision-maker.

The moment was considered so unusual that â??US and Israeli warplanes struck in full daylightâ??.

The Washington Post reported that Trumpâ??s move came â??despite US intelligence assessments that an immediate threat to the US. mainlandâ?? was not evident. Still, regional allies argued that now was the time to act. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had made â??multiple callsâ?? advocating a US attack, the newspaper said.

In the days before the strike, Trumpâ??s rhetoric sharpened. â??Iâ??ve got a lot of things going on now,â?? he told supporters in Texas. â??We have a big decision to make, you know that. Not easy, not easy. We have a very big decision to makeâ??.

Behind the scenes, his administration pursued what Politico described as a â??dual-track strategyâ?? â?? sending envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to negotiate while building up US military power in the region.

By weekâ??s end, Trump made â??the final call to pursue military actionâ?? after concluding that Iran would not commit to forgoing nuclear weapons, according to three senior administration officials.

A senior administration official told the Post that talks had failed because Tehranâ??s intent was â??to preserve their ability to do enrichment so that, over time, they could use it for a nuclear bombâ??.

Politico reported that Trump had insisted Iran must â??publicly and unequivocally commit to forgoing nuclear weaponsâ??politico iran nattack. When that did not happen, the diplomatic window narrowed.

The Journal said Trump ordered â??the largest buildup of American firepower in the Middle East in two decades,â?? dispatching carriers, destroyers, and advanced aircraft to bases around Iran.

Vice President JD Vance monitored the operation from the White House Situation Room, the Post reported, while Trump oversaw developments from Mar-a-Lago.

Democratic lawmakers questioned the urgency. â??What was the imminent threat to America?â?? asked Sen. Mark R. Warner. â??I donâ??t know the answerâ??.

Trump, however, framed the strikes as long overdue. â??Weâ??ve been playing with them for 47 years,â?? he said. â??Theyâ??ve been blowing the legs off our people, blowing their face off our people, the arms. Theyâ??ve been knocking out ships one by one. And every month, thereâ??s something else, so â?¦ you canâ??t put up with it too longâ??.

The strikes marked the most expansive US military confrontation with Tehran in years. They also reflected a calculation that air power, coupled with regional coordination, could shift the strategic balance without committing American ground forces.

The United States and Iran have been locked in hostility since the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the subsequent hostage crisis at the US Embassy in Tehran. Tensions have repeatedly spiked over Iranâ??s nuclear programme, regional proxy conflicts, and attacks on US forces in the Middle East.

/IANS