U.S. military ready to launch large-scale operation against Iran ‘within 96 hours’ if Trump gives the order

[Financial News] U.S. government officials said that U.S. forces deployed in the Middle East are ready to launch a large-scale new military operation targeting Iran within 96 hours if President Donald Trump’s order is issued.
On the 26th (local time), CNN reported, citing current and former U.S. officials, that forces sufficient to carry out a potential attack are already deployed in the Middle East, and that the operation would target a broad range of targets, including Iran’s energy infrastructure, military bases and nuclear facilities. This would go beyond the previous approach of piecemeal strikes limited to quickly repairable assets such as Iranian radar systems and launchers.
One official said, “This operation will be a very large-scale effort.”
U.S. officials view the question of whether President Trump will issue an order to attack as a matter of “when,” not “if,” and a decision is widely expected after the U.S. midterm elections in November, before the end of the year.
U.S. intelligence agencies assess that if the U.S. military or Israel launches an attack, Iran and Yemen’s Houthi rebels are highly likely to retaliate immediately by targeting U.S. personnel and facilities in the Middle East and elsewhere. A memo that Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Jay Clayton sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated that Iran’s attempts to attack U.S. forces had reached an advanced stage. In response, the U.S. government has taken precautions, including ordering the withdrawal of personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia, reducing staffing at key diplomatic missions in the Middle East, and canceling further deployments of nonessential U.S. military personnel.
Brad Cooper, commander of United States Central Command (CENTCOM), recently patrolled the skies over the Strait of Hormuz and emphasized the need to maintain freedom of navigation and security in the strait. However, the current standoff in the strait is not sustainable in the long term, with oil prices continuing to soar amid Iranian threats; this, too, is cited as a major reason President Trump is considering military options.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been trying to persuade the United States to launch additional large-scale attacks on Iran at an early date, but the Trump administration asked that the timeline be pushed back so the two countries could pursue a joint operation after the midterm elections. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) raised concerns that the Israeli general election could be disrupted, and, amid factors including the need for U.S. missile defense support, Israel is reportedly shifting course toward concentrating its forces on a joint operation with U.S. forces after the election.
[email protected] Yoon Jae-joon Reporter