Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the work, said the U.S. military is drawing up plans that assume a president-ordered campaign against Iran could extend for weeks. Those preparations, the officials said, would represent a step beyond previous, more limited U.S. military actions and raise the stakes for ongoing diplomatic efforts.
The officials described the planning as potentially more complex than past operations. In contrast to strikes that focused primarily on nuclear infrastructure, the planning for a sustained campaign envisions the possibility of targeting Iranian state and security facilities as well, one official said. That official declined to provide specific details about targets or operational timelines.
Diplomatic channels remain active even as military preparations advance. U.S. and Iranian diplomats held talks in Oman last week in an effort to renew discussions over Tehran's nuclear program, a process that has proceeded against the backdrop of an American buildup of forces in the region. The additional deployments followed orders last week to send another aircraft carrier to the Middle East, along with thousands of additional troops, fighter aircraft, guided-missile destroyers and other assets capable of both conducting attacks and defending U.S. forces, according to U.S. officials.
President Donald Trump, speaking to U.S. troops at a base in North Carolina, acknowledged the difficulty of striking a diplomatic deal with Iran. He said it had "been difficult to make a deal" and added, "Sometimes you have to have fear. That’s the only thing that really will get the situation taken care of."
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly was asked about the potential for sustained military operations and would only say: "President Trump has all options on the table with regard to Iran." She added, "He listens to a variety of perspectives on any given issue, but makes the final decision based on what is best for our country and national security." The Pentagon declined to comment.
Officials pointed to contrasts with previous U.S. actions against Iran. Last year the United States deployed two aircraft carriers to the region when it conducted strikes against Iranian nuclear sites. In June, an operation known as "Midnight Hammer" involved stealth bombers flying from the United States to strike Iranian nuclear facilities; that operation was characterized by U.S. officials as essentially a one-off attack. Iran responded with a very limited retaliatory strike on a U.S. base in Qatar.
This time, the planning described by the officials contemplates a sustained campaign that could extend beyond strikes on nuclear infrastructure. Experts cited by officials say such a campaign would expose U.S. forces to greater danger because Iran possesses a substantial missile arsenal. The potential for retaliation from Iran raises the prospect of back-and-forth strikes and reprisals that could continue over a period of time, one official said, reflecting an expectation in Washington that any major action would prompt Iranian responses.
U.S. officials did not provide estimates of the likely duration or scope of such a campaign, and both the White House and the Pentagon did not respond to questions about the risks of retaliation or the prospect of a wider regional conflict. Iran's leadership and its proxy forces have issued warnings in response to threats of strikes. Iran's Revolutionary Guards have said that if strikes were carried out on Iranian territory, they could retaliate against any U.S. military base.
The United States maintains a network of bases throughout the Middle East that would be potentially exposed to retaliatory action, including locations in Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.
Political and diplomatic interactions in recent days have included a meeting in Washington between President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. After that session, Netanyahu said that any agreement with Iran "must include the elements that are vital to Israel." Iran has signaled a willingness to discuss constraints on its nuclear program in return for relief from sanctions but has explicitly ruled out linking the nuclear talks to its missile program.
As U.S. military planners factor in scenarios that extend beyond short, discrete strikes, the interplay between a possible sustained campaign and parallel diplomatic outreach creates competing pressures. Officials involved in the planning and those engaged in diplomacy now face a narrow margin between deterrent posturing, escalation risk and the limited window for negotiations aimed at addressing nuclear concerns.
Foreign policy and security officials in Washington continue to weigh both military and diplomatic options, with senior leaders publicly reiterating that a range of choices remains under consideration. For now, the combination of strengthened U.S. force posture and ongoing diplomatic contacts underscores an uncertain period in which both confrontation and negotiation are active possibilities.