US Forces in the Middle East Ready to Launch a Major Operation Against Iran Within 96 Hours of Trump's Order, Two Officials Say

US forces deployed in the Middle East are ready to launch a new, large-scale military operation against Iran within 96 hours of receiving an order from President Donald Trump. Two US officials gave this information to the American news outlet CNN. The matter has come to light at a time when Israel is continually pressing the United States to strike Iran again.

According to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the number of US troops and the military equipment needed for a possible attack have already been deployed in the Middle East. They believe that if a new operation begins, its scale will be much larger than the previous strikes.

Earlier this year, Trump halted a full-scale military operation. Since then, the United States has mainly struck Iran's radars, missile launch systems and other military installations. Although such installations are destroyed, Iran can rebuild them quickly.

In military language, such limited strikes are sometimes called "mowing the lawn" — keeping an adversary in check with repeated strikes without fully destroying its military capability. But according to US officials, the aim of the possible operation this time will not be only such limited strikes or maintaining the current situation.

One US official told CNN: "This will be a major military operation." Several other current and former US officials familiar with the military's internal planning expressed the same view. Some of them believe the question is no longer whether Trump will ultimately order an attack, but when he will give that order. In their view, the order could come at any time before the end of this year, though they see the period after the US midterm elections as the most likely time.

US officials have acknowledged that Iran's military is now far more experienced with US war tactics than before, so in a possible operation it will be harder for US forces to effectively destroy all targets. US Central Command (CENTCOM) and Pentagon officials are, however, preparing an extensive target list for strikes on Iran. The list includes Iran's energy infrastructure, military installations and nuclear sites.

Officials said Trump has not yet made a final decision on what steps will be taken after the midterm elections, but his posture suggests he is leaning toward ordering a major military operation.

At the same time, officials cautioned that Trump has in the past appeared to lean toward some military steps but pulled back from the decision at the last moment. The White House declined to comment on the matter. A senior Pentagon official told CNN: "The Department of Defense is a planning organisation. Its responsibility is to prepare and implement the military options that the President orders."

According to a recent US intelligence assessment, Iran and the Houthi rebels are taking the prospect of renewed strikes by the United States and possibly Israel extremely seriously. Two more sources familiar with the matter provided this information.

According to the sources, if the United States and Israel launch a new military operation against Iran, Tehran and the Houthis will likely retaliate immediately. Their likely targets would be US troops and military installations at various locations in the Middle East, and the attacks could even spread beyond the Middle East.

CNN previously reported that US Director of National Intelligence J Clayton sent a memo to Secretary of State Marco Rubio last Friday. The memo, which could be released publicly, said US intelligence had seen Iran significantly increase its efforts to target US personnel. It also said planning for such attacks in several countries, including in the Middle East, had reached an "advanced stage."

According to one source familiar with the recent US intelligence assessment, Iran and the Houthis are unlikely at this moment to launch a pre-emptive major attack on US troops or Israel. But if the United States or Israel strikes Iran first, they will not hesitate to respond.

The prospect of a regional threat from Iran and the Houthis is influencing the US administration's decision to withdraw staff from embassies in various Middle Eastern countries, and the source said this process may continue quietly over the coming days.

At present, the US embassy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is the only US diplomatic facility in the Middle East from which staff have been ordered to leave. But a source told CNN that other embassies may soon receive similar orders.