The United States and Israel are intensively preparing for a possible resumption as early as next week of military operations against Iran, which were suspended in April following the declaration of a ceasefire.
This is reported by The New York Times, citing informed sources in the Middle East.
According to them, one option is to send US special forces to Iran to search for nuclear materials hidden underground. To implement this scenario, several hundred US special forces were deployed to the Middle East in March following President Donald Trump’s decision, the sources say.
It is noted that these specialized units could be deployed in an operation targeting an Iranian stockpile of highly enriched uranium at a nuclear facility in Isfahan.
However, for such a maneuver to succeed, thousands of additional support troops would be needed to form a “security perimeter” and could be drawn into combat with Iranian forces.
Another possible course of action, should Trump decide to break the deadlock in negotiations with Tehran, is “more aggressive bombing” of Iranian military and infrastructure targets, US administration officials said.
US military leadership “continues to keep a range of options on the table for our civilian leaders,” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine said this week.
The general did not disclose exactly what military actions Trump intends to take, but in early May he noted that more than 50,000 US service members, two aircraft carriers, more than 10 Navy destroyers, and dozens of combat aircraft “remain ready to resume major combat operations against Iran if ordered to do so.”
Currently, 5,000 US Marines and 2,000 paratroopers from the elite 82nd Airborne Division are in the Middle East “awaiting instructions.”
These troops could carry out an operation to seize Iranian nuclear materials in Isfahan, including securing a safe perimeter to protect special forces personnel who would need to infiltrate underground bunkers if such an operation is approved, military officials said.
The troops could also be used to seize Kharg Island, a hub for Iranian oil exports.
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