India, Feb. 19 -- The Trump administration appears closer to a major war in the Middle East, with officials and advisers signaling that military action against Iran could begin sooner rather than later.

Any US military operation in Iran would likely be extensive, unfolding over weeks and resembling a full-scale war rather than a limited, targeted strike like last month's operation in Venezuela, Axios reported.

The campaign would almost certainly involve close coordination with Israel and would be far broader in scope than the Israeli-led 12-day conflict last June, which the United States later joined to eliminate Iran's underground nuclear facilities.

Such a conflict would carry profound consequences for the region and potentially defi...