The Hill: Strike plans are complete… Bombing Iran awaits Trump’s order
The Hill: Strike plans are complete… Bombing Iran awaits Trump’s order
2026-10-25
Shafaq News – Special Translation
The American newspaper ” The Hill ” revealed that the US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) has prepared military plans to launch new strikes against Iran, which may be carried out after the midterm congressional elections next November, amid Iranian threats of a broader and more severe response than previous confrontations, and escalating fears of a new round of the war that has been ongoing for more than eight months.
The newspaper quoted an informed source, who asked not to be identified, as saying that the US Central Command (CENTCOM) had drawn up plans to carry out additional strikes against Iranian targets, pending White House approval, while another source confirmed that the military command had prepared several offensive options that were presented to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
The source explained that US President Donald Trump intends to keep all options open until a final decision is made regarding the resumption of military operations.
According to the newspaper, the options on the table include two main paths: the first is to resume targeting military and political sites inside Iranian territory, and the second is to expand the scope of attacks to include energy facilities and civilian infrastructure, especially if Israel participates in the operations.
Harrison Mann, a former official at the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency’s Middle East and Africa Center, said that U.S. forces have largely avoided carrying out attacks deep inside Iranian territory since last April, and have limited most of their operations to coastal targets.
Mann suggested that this approach was linked to an attempt to reduce escalation and avoid exposing American aircraft to the risk of being shot down, adding that Israel’s participation could increase the likelihood of targeting energy facilities and civilian infrastructure, similar to the operations carried out by Israeli forces during the early stages of the war.
In response to the newspaper’s inquiries, a Pentagon official confirmed that the department’s role is to prepare military options and present them to the president, stressing that it does not comment on future operations or hypothetical scenarios.
The newspaper noted that the United States maintains more than 50,000 troops and about 20 warships in the Middle East, some of which are involved in enforcing the naval blockade in the Arabian Sea region.
The region includes two US aircraft carrier strike groups, while the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is heading into the Central Command’s area of operations, potentially replacing the aircraft carrier USS George Washington.
The Pentagon also sent about 4,000 Marines and sailors aboard three warships, led by the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island.
These reinforcements give the US administration additional military options, including carrying out amphibious landings or expanding the scope of attacks against Iranian targets.
Among the sites Trump hinted at potentially targeting is a mountain facility known as “Peaks Mountain,” located near the damaged Natanz nuclear facility in the Zagros Mountains.
shafaq.com
