Photo: Collected
US forces deployed in the Middle East will be able to launch a fresh, large-scale military operation against Iran within 96 hours of receiving an order from President Donald Trump, two US officials have told US news outlet CNN. The news came just as Israel keeps up relentless pressure on the United States to strike Iran again.
According to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the required number of US troops and equipment for a possible strike have already reached the Middle East. They believe that if a new operation begins, it will be far more extensive than the earlier strikes.
Trump halted a full-scale military operation early this year. Since then, the United States has mainly been striking Iran’s radars, missile launch systems and other military installations. Although these facilities are destroyed, Iran can rebuild them in a short time.
In military terminology, such limited strikes are often called ‘mowing the lawn’ — keeping an adversary in check by striking repeatedly without fully destroying its capabilities. But US officials say the possible operation this time will not be confined to such limited strikes or to maintaining the status quo.
One US official told CNN, ‘This will be a major military operation.’ Several other current and former officials familiar with internal US military planning share the same view. According to some of them, the question is no longer whether Trump will eventually order a strike, but when. They believe the order could come at any time before the end of the year, but the most likely time is after the US midterm elections.
US officials acknowledge that Iran’s military is now far more experienced with US war tactics than before. As a result, it will be harder for US forces to effectively destroy all targets in a possible operation. Even so, officials at US Central Command (CENTCOM) and the Pentagon are drawing up a large list of targets for strikes. It includes Iran’s energy infrastructure, military installations and nuclear facilities.
The officials said Trump has not yet reached a final decision on what to do after the midterm elections. But his stance suggests he is leaning towards ordering a major operation.
At the same time, they recalled that Trump has in the past been seen leaning towards certain military actions, only to back off at the last moment. The White House declined to comment. A senior Pentagon official told CNN, ‘The Department of Defense is a planning organisation. Its responsibility is to prepare and execute the military options the President directs.’
Two other sources familiar with the matter say that, according to recent US intelligence assessments, Iran and the Houthi rebels are taking the threat of fresh strikes by the United States, and possibly Israel, very seriously.
The sources believe that if the United States and Israel launch a new operation, Tehran and the Houthis will probably retaliate immediately. Targets could be US troops and military installations at various locations in the Middle East; attacks could even spread beyond the Middle East. Sources aware of the recent intelligence assessments voiced this concern.
CNN earlier reported that US Director of National Intelligence J Clayton sent a memorandum to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on 23 October. The memorandum, which can be made public, said US intelligence had found that ‘Iran has significantly increased its efforts to target US personnel.’ The memo also noted that plans for such attacks in several countries, including in the Middle East, had ‘reached an advanced stage’.
A source familiar with the recent intelligence assessments says it is unlikely at this moment that Iran and the Houthis will pre-emptively launch major attacks on US troops or Israel. But they will not hesitate to respond if the United States or Israel strikes first. Fears of regional threats from Iran and the Houthis are influencing the US administration’s decision to withdraw staff from embassies in various Middle Eastern countries. According to the source, the process may continue quietly in the coming days as well.
So far in the Middle East, only staff of the US embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, have been ordered to leave. But a source told CNN that similar orders may soon go to other embassies. Where no order to withdraw staff is issued, staff numbers will still be kept within a set limit.
A US official also said that non-essential military personnel who were due to go to the Middle East in the next round of troop deployments have been told they will no longer be sent. The decision has made the prospect of major tension spreading in the region even clearer.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has kept pressing for new strikes on Iran. But according to two US officials and an Israeli security source, Washington has told Netanyahu to hold off on strikes until the Trump administration is ready.
The Israeli security source told CNN, ‘Netanyahu really wanted and tried to persuade Trump to carry out joint strikes on Iran before the elections. But Trump did not give the green light.’
The source also offered an explanation of why Trump did not agree. It claimed that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) chief General Eyal Zamir had told US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine that strikes now could harm Israel’s elections, and could even create a situation in which the elections were postponed.
A third source familiar with the matter told CNN that for the past week or a little more, Israel had been preparing with the possibility of further strikes on Iran in mind. The country was also trying to win US support for plans for new strikes and to bring US military power into the operation.
But Trump and other senior US officials have told Israel to refrain from strikes for now. At the same time, they have also hinted that the two countries may soon carry out an operation together. Taking all the sources’ accounts together, Israel appears to have put off plans for new strikes for now, but is stepping up preparations for a possible joint operation with the United States. Here too, the most likely time is considered to be the period after the US midterm elections.
According to the source, one major reason Israel agreed to delay new strikes is its need for US help with missile defence. If Iran is attacked, Iran and the Houthis could retaliate. Yet because of the ongoing war, Israel’s stockpile and supply of interceptors needed for its missile defence systems are already under strain.
Background
Ada Derana, citing Reuters, reported on 15 February 2026 that the US military was preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if Trump ordered them.
According to a Daily Pakistan report of 3 August, Trump said he had postponed a planned operation after Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Iran asked for time for diplomacy; he said then that the operation had not been cancelled but suspended.
Sources
Original report: Ajker Patrika
Background sources: Ada Derana (Reuters), 15 February 2026; Daily Pakistan, 3 August 2026
