U.S. Forces Have Iran Strike Plans Ready, With Thousands on Standby

Thousands of U.S. Air Force and Navy personnel are positioned aboard more than 10 ships and at bases in the Middle East and the United States, ready to resume large-scale operations against Iran if President Donald Trump orders them, Pentagon officials and military commanders said Wednesday.

The United States and Israel have developed a plan for a short, intense campaign. Likely targets include Iran’s energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone stockpiles, the officials said.

Trump has signaled he is not in a hurry to resume bombing, but military forces are prepared to restart large-scale operations under his command. Any renewed action would require his order.

Former U.S. State Department diplomats, Pentagon officials and military commanders with long Middle East experience say Trump may have left himself with few options. Past presidents have sometimes turned to military action after political setbacks to signal their authority as commander in chief; President George W. Bush accelerated operations in Iraq after Republicans’ 2006 midterm defeat.