Amid reports that the US could strike Iran again, the Pentagon has drawn up a three-day military campaign, which will see Iranian forces target Tehran’s missile and drone arsenals, energy infrastructure and command centres. However, US President Donald Trump said on Thursday the US would not attack Iran before the November 3 midterm elections and that "productive" talks were underway.
The Pentagon and Trump’s national security team had earlier presented him with five proposals for significant military operations against Iran and Iran-backed Houthi rebels, but the US President had rejected all five.
Upon his request to prepare other options, the Pentagon came up with this plan, which was discussed last Friday at Camp David during a meeting of senior national security officials led by Vice President JD Vance.
As per the latest plan, the strikes will last three days, during which the US military will target Iranian missiles, drones and energy facilities. The attacks will be aided by three aircraft carriers, according to The New York Times.
Other potential targets include ballistic missile launchers and stockpiles, drone infrastructure and military facilities associated with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Energy installations and Revolutionary Guard headquarters and command posts are also under consideration.
However, the Trump administration is aware that Iran has rebuilt substantial portions of its missile and drone arsenal since the February attack, restoring capabilities that had previously been damaged.
The US too is in the process of deploying military muscle in the region with assembling a large force. This include aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, which departed San Diego last week, is expected to join the USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington in the Middle East around the end of October. Over 20,000 sailors and Marines are expected to be deployed aboard vessels in the region, alongside hundreds of military aircraft.
Earlier, there were reports that senior US officials told Israeli military chief Eyal Zamir that the White House and Pentagon had instructed US forces to prepare for a possible large-scale attack on Iran within the next three weeks. Zamir warned that an attack within that timeframe could lead to the postponement of Israel’s October 27 election, based on an assessment that Iran would respond with heavy missile fire against Israel.
