Meanwhile, Newsweek is reporting that at least one former White House official contends that some Bush advisers secretly want an excuse to attack Iran. The administration’s former National Security Council director for Iran and Persian Gulf affairs, Hillary Mann, said: “They intend to be as provocative as possible and make the Iranians do something [America] would be forced to retaliate for.” Newsweek is also reporting that the U.S. is likely to send a third Navy carrier to the Persian Gulf. This comes as The Guardian newspaper reports U.S. preparations for an airstrike against Iran have reached an advanced stage. The present military build-up in the Gulf would allow the U.S. to mount an attack by the spring.