Middle East & North Africa
Iran: Pentagon told CENTCOM to complete preparations to resume major operations, Axios reports
The Pentagon directed US Central Command several days ago to finish preparations to resume major combat operations against Iran, Axios reported on October 7, citing US officials. The order sets no start date, and Donald Trump has not made a final decision, according to the same sources.
The Pentagon instructed US Central Command (CENTCOM) several days ago to complete its preparations to resume major combat operations against Iran, according to an exclusive Axios report citing US officials. The order sets no start date for strikes and, according to the same sources, President Donald Trump has not made a final decision. A Pentagon official told Axios that it is the department’s job to develop and present military options to the president.
When and where strikes could happen
US and Israeli sources cited by Axios estimate that a new phase of operations could begin before the US midterm elections on November 3 and possibly before the Israeli elections, which are scheduled a week earlier. According to the same sources, the operations would focus on massive bombing of Iran’s energy facilities, infrastructure and nuclear targets, with Israel most likely taking part in a joint campaign with the United States.
Background to the negotiations
The report comes as US–Iran negotiations have made no progress. Axios had reported on October 3 that Trump’s top national security advisers met at Camp David to discuss Iran and Yemen. In July, CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper recommended halting the bombing around the Strait of Hormuz and named, as a possible next step, resuming major operations against roughly 20% of the targets that had been designated but not struck in Operation Epic Fury.
Since the war began on February 28, Iran has effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz and insists it will reopen it only when its conditions are met, while the United States maintains its blockade of Iranian ports and says it has full control of the strait. The report also fits the pattern of US reinforcement in the region, including the carrier group heading for the Middle East.
Update, October 8: Trump wrote on Truth Social that the United States will not attack Iran before the midterm elections, while the blockade stays in place. Tehran, for its part, says it will reply within days to the US response on its “seven-day plan”.
