A large plume of smoke rises over Tehran following US-Israeli strikes in March 2026 [Getty]
The US military is preparing options for a three-day campaign of intense strikes on Iran, The New York Times reported on Thursday, citing US officials.
At President Donald Trump’s direction, the Pentagon has drawn up plans to target Iran’s arsenal of drones and missiles, energy facilities and other military sites, the newspaper reported. The preparations come as three US aircraft carriers are expected to be in the Middle East soon in a major show of force.
The timing of any potential attacks remains unclear. Trump has said there have been “productive discussions” with Iran and claimed there would be no attack before the 3 November midterm elections.
But tensions between Washington and Tehran remain high.
Although the US has not struck targets in Iran for weeks, low-level hostilities continue in the Strait of Hormuz, which remains largely blockaded by Iranian forces. The US military has also imposed a counterblockade on Iranian ports, rattling global energy markets.
Iran has threatened to retaliate with full force if the US and Israel resume their war, which began on 28 February and quickly drew much of the region into a wider conflict.
US officials told the NYT that Trump’s national security team and the Pentagon had presented him with five proposals in recent months for major military operations targeting Iran or Yemen’s Houthi movement, which is engaged in a conflict with Saudi Arabia and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces. Trump rejected each proposal but has now again ordered officials to prepare options for possible strikes.
The plans centre on a short, intense campaign lasting about three days, the newspaper reported. Potential targets include Iran’s missile and drone stockpiles, which the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has reportedly replenished since the early stages of the war, as well as energy facilities, command centres and the IRGC’s main headquarters.
Senior national security officials discussed the plans at a meeting led by Vice President JD Vance at Camp David last Friday, according to people familiar with the discussions.
The preparations coincide with a significant US naval deployment. The USS Theodore Roosevelt left San Diego last week and is expected to join the USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington in the Middle East, potentially by the end of October.
The deployment would mark the first time since 2003 that three US aircraft carriers have been in the Middle East simultaneously. Each carrier strike group includes other warships, while the wider deployment is expected to put more than 20,000 sailors and Marines at sea alongside hundreds of aircraft by the end of October, according to the report.
The build-up is expected to be temporary. The USS George Washington is due to return to its home base in Japan shortly after the Theodore Roosevelt arrives next month to replace it.
Citing unnamed security sources, Israeli news site Walla recently reported that around 3,000 US troops are deployed across Israel. Their duties include operating air defence systems, serving as pilots and support crews, and handling logistics and headquarters operations, according to the report.
Despite the military build-up, there is no certainty that Trump will authorise further attacks, even after the midterm elections, the NYT reported.
Senior US officials are concerned that an expanded campaign could further deplete global stocks of defensive weapons needed to protect American bases in the Middle East. They are also worried about the US military’s ability to intercept Iranian attacks.