“U.S. Central Command reports ‘Iran attack plan’ to defense secretary” ... renewed strikes after midterms come into view

[Financial News] The U.S. military’s Central Command (CENTCOM) is reported to have drawn up several military options for resuming attacks on Iran after the midterm elections in November and submitted them to the U.S. Department of Defense.
The Hill, a U.S. political news outlet, reported on the 24th (local time) that CENTCOM, which oversees the Middle East, had submitted operational plans to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth so it could immediately launch follow-up airstrikes against Iran if the White House approved them. President Donald Trump is reportedly set to keep all options open until a final decision is expected after the midterm elections.
Trump has openly hinted at the possibility of using force against Iran. At a rally in Florida on the 23rd, he spoke of military action, saying, “We could do another little ‘Epic Fury’ (the name of the operation against Iran), or they’ll make a deal.” On the 21st, he also said, “Something is going to happen before long, and I think it will mostly be after the election.”
The U.S. moves are seen as an attempt to force Iran to capitulate by adding military pressure to existing economic sanctions, rather than relying on diplomatic negotiations that have stalled. Gregory Brew, an Iran expert at Eurasia Group, said the moves “reflect frustration at the lack of diplomatic progress, and the possibility of renewed military attacks after the midterm elections is quite high.”
Experts expect the scope of any attacks to depend on how the conflict escalates. Harrison Mann, a former U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) official, said the U.S. attacks, which had been confined to Iran’s coastal areas since April, could expand to military and political facilities in the country’s interior. If Israel joins in, civilian infrastructure, including energy facilities, could also be targeted.
However, many are skeptical that military strikes could bring about a substantive change in the Iranian leadership’s stance. The limits of an attack have been clearly exposed, with U.S. and Israeli interceptor missile stocks running low and oil prices soaring, while Iran has also openly vowed to retaliate against oil facilities and power plants in the Gulf region if it is attacked. Mann said, “It would be difficult to force Iran to change course, whatever the level of attack.”
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Defense is significantly reinforcing its forces in the Middle East as it prepares for attacks on Iran. At least 50,000 troops, about 20 warships and two carrier strike groups are currently deployed in the region. The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is en route, and an amphibious ready group carrying 4,000 Marines and sailors—three ships, including the USS Makin Island—has also completed its deployment to the Middle East. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the USS George Washington is strengthening its armaments, including replenishing its bunker busters.


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