Two Middle Eastern officials told The New York Times that the US and Israel are preparing the most intensively since the ceasefire for a possible renewed attack on Iran. They could be launched at the beginning of next week.
“We have a plan to escalate if needed,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said when he testified before Congress this week. He added that at the same time there is also a plan to send back most of the 50,000 soldiers sent to the area.
Israel confirmed the preparations
An unnamed senior Israeli official confirmed to Israel’s Channel 12 television on Friday evening that the Jewish state is also preparing for a possible resumption of fighting: “The Americans understand that negotiations with Iran have led nowhere. We are preparing for days or weeks of fighting and await Trump’s final decision. We will know more within 24 hours.”
Officials of the countries involved are trying to find a compromise that would allow the strait to be reopened, while Trump could simultaneously declare victory and try to convince skeptical Americans that the war was a success, even as gasoline prices rose by 50 percent, The New York Times reported.
Trump swept the Iranian proposals off the table
However, the probability of renewed strikes on Iran is growing. On the way from Beijing to the USA, Trump repeated to journalists on board that the latest Iranian peace proposal is unacceptable to him. “I looked at it and when I didn’t like the first sentence, I threw it away.”
“Either they will come to an agreement or they will be decimated,” Trump said on Tuesday before leaving for China.
Trump acknowledged that he had held talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping about war with Iran, but denied asking him to pressure Tehran. The details of the meeting between the two presidents are not known. According to the Institute for the Study of War, Iran appears to have backed down on the controversial exaction of fuel from passing ships, which would have brought it immediate profit, but China denied it. Tehran now apparently wants Iran’s sovereignty over the strait to be recognized, which would allow it to renew the blockade at any time.
Possible forms of attacks
There are more options for what American attacks would look like. The United States failed to destroy Iran’s stockpiles of enriched uranium during the strikes, so there is still a threat that Iran may soon have a nuclear bomb. The US could send members of special forces to Iranian territory to find and remove or dilute the highly enriched uranium that Iran has and is apparently hiding in Isfahan. However, such an operation would be difficult and risky.
Another variant is an even stronger bombing of Iranian military targets and infrastructure. Even before accepting the ceasefire, Trump threatened to destroy bridges and power plants, which could be considered a war crime of attacking civilian objects. American troops could also land on the island of Charg, from where Iran exports most of its oil.
The speaker of the Iranian parliament, Mohammad Ghalibaf, said this week that the Iranian armed forces are ready to respond to an American attack. Iran, among others managed to restore access to thirty out of thirty-three launchers in the Strait of Hormuz, which can threaten both American warships and tankers.
