US Central Command (CENTCOM) has prepared a plan for a “short and powerful” wave of strikes on Iran, likely including infrastructure targets, Axios reported on Wednesday, citing two anonymous sources.
According to sources, US President Donald Trump will receive a briefing on the new plans from CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper on Thursday.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, is reportedly expected to attend Thursday's briefing as well.
The White House and the US Central Command did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Another plan expected to be shared with Trump focuses on taking over part of the Strait of Hormuz to reopen it to commercial shipping, the report added, noting that such an operation may involve ground forces.
Nuclear issues remain negotiation chokepoint
The Iran war, which remains unpopular in the US, has shaken markets and raised oil prices. The war has brought traffic through the strait, a chokepoint for about 20% of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments, close to a standstill.
Washington hopes to make Iran more flexible at the negotiating table on nuclear issues, Axios reported.
Another option that might come up in the briefing is a special forces operation to secure Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium, Axios reported.
Trump has cited Iran's nuclear program as an imminent threat. Tehran denies seeking nuclear weapons but says it has the right to develop nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Iran warns of return to lengthy conflict if attacked
Any US attack on Iran, even if limited, will usher in "long and painful strikes" on US regional positions, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps official was quoted by state media as saying on Thursday.
"We've seen what happened to your regional bases; we will see the same thing happen to your warships," Aerospace Force Commander Majid Mousavi added, according to the Student News Network.