Pentagon Preparing for Possible Resumption of Strikes on Iran – NYT
The Pentagon is reportedly preparing for the possibility that Operation Epic Fury, paused when the president declared a cease-fire last month, could resume in the coming days, possibly under a new name.
“We have a plan to escalate if necessary,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers this week during congressional testimony. He also said there are plans to wind down the surge and send more than 50,000 troops deployed to the Middle East back to standard rotations.
Two Middle East officials, speaking anonymously to The New York Times, said the US and Israel are carrying out intensive preparations, the largest since the cease-fire took effect, for a possible resumption of strikes on Iran as soon as next week.
If Trump orders renewed strikes, options include more aggressive bombing of Iranian military and infrastructure targets, US officials said.
Another option would involve deploying Special Operations forces on the ground to target nuclear material buried deep underground. Several hundred Special Operations troops were sent to the region in March for that possibility.
Those forces could be used against Iran’s highly enriched uranium at the Isfahan nuclear site, but the mission would also require thousands of support troops to secure the area, who could end up in combat with Iranian forces. Military officials said that option carries significant risk of casualties.
Any renewed operation would likely resume where fighting stopped before the April 7 cease-fire between Iran and the United States. Before that agreement, President Trump had threatened to wipe out Iran’s “whole civilization” if it did not ensure safe commercial passage through the Strait of Hormuz.
