U.S. forces opened another round of attacks targeting Iranian capabilities near the Strait of Hormuz while military planners repositioned aircraft and prepared a substantially larger campaign should President Donald Trump authorize renewed full-scale operations.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom.
President Donald Trump ordered a new wave of military strikes against Iran on Monday as senior officials prepared additional aircraft and operational plans for a possible expansion of the war.
The attacks began at 4 p.m. Eastern time and marked the 10th day of U.S. military action in the region.
“Today at 4 p.m. ET, U.S. forces began a new round of strikes against Iran at the Commander in Chief’s direction,” U.S. Central Command announced on X.
“The strikes are designed to further degrade Iranian military capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM added.
The latest operation continued a campaign that has concentrated largely on Iranian military infrastructure associated with threats to commercial vessels traveling through the strategically important waterway.
At the same time, Trump is expected to decide within the coming days whether the United States should move beyond the current series of strikes and resume full-scale combat operations, senior U.S. officials told Fox News Monday.
The officials emphasized that Trump had not made a final decision.
Military planners are nevertheless preparing for multiple possibilities, including a campaign one official said would be “far more intense and extensive” than the nine consecutive nights of American strikes that began July 7.
Those operations primarily targeted Iranian military assets connected to activity around the Strait of Hormuz.
American forces have largely avoided attacking targets near Tehran and Iran’s nuclear facilities during the current phase of the campaign, according to one official.
“That could change if there is a return to full-scale war operations,” the official said.
A broader campaign would likely require U.S. Central Command to substantially expand its force presence in the region.
Possible deployments include additional F-16 and F-35 fighter aircraft, along with KC-135 aerial refueling tankers needed to support extended operations.
An official confirmed that more American military aircraft had begun moving into the Middle East but characterized those deployments as precautionary preparations rather than proof that Trump had authorized a wider war.
“That is some of the movement that is occurring, but it is preparatory ahead of a final decision,” the official said.
Aerial refueling aircraft are also being repositioned from other locations in the region to Israel.
Some of that movement is connected to the U.S. military’s departure from Ben Gurion International Airport after Operation Epic Fury was halted, according to the official.
Locating tanker aircraft at Israeli military bases would provide them with greater protection than they might receive at installations in Gulf countries if the United States resumes full-scale combat and Israel joins the expanded air campaign.
U.S. officials have not observed the kind of large-scale air bridge across Europe that would ordinarily precede deployments of B-2 Spirit stealth bombers or a major transfer of combat aircraft directly from the United States.
The absence of that movement suggests the Pentagon has not yet begun every preparation associated with the most extensive available strike options.
Military officials are still evaluating the force structure, targets and regional participation that would be required if Trump authorizes a significant escalation.
“All of that is being discussed and debated right now,” the official said.
Israel would likely participate “if Trump decides to significantly widen the war,” the official added.
Monday’s strikes therefore unfolded along two parallel tracks.
CENTCOM continued its daily effort to weaken Iranian systems used to threaten maritime traffic, while Pentagon planners assembled the aircraft, refueling capacity and basing arrangements necessary to give Trump the option of launching a much larger operation.
The current campaign has remained comparatively limited in its selection of targets, focusing on military capabilities associated with missile, drone and maritime operations rather than central government sites, nuclear facilities or targets in and around Tehran.
A decision to expand the war could erase those restrictions and open a broader range of Iranian military and strategic sites to attack.
For now, U.S. officials said the aircraft movements remain preparatory and that the president retains the final decision over whether the 10-day campaign continues in its present form or develops into a more extensive regional war.
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