Trump considers expanding the war with an intensive two-week campaign
- CENTCOM denies Tehran’s claims of destroying US fighter jets or breaching the blockade
- Intelligence estimates: 22 percent of Iran’s missile system remains operational
- Islamabad: Negotiations are ongoing, particularly regarding the Strait of Hormuz
The administration of US President Donald Trump is considering expanding its military operations against Iran through an intensive aerial campaign lasting between 10 days and two weeks, as US strikes on Iranian military facilities resumed in response to a missile attack targeting a US base in Jordan.
The Wall Street Journal, citing informed sources, reported that US Central Command (CENTCOM) Commander Admiral Brad Cooper has drawn up a plan for a broad aerial campaign targeting command centers and missile and drone facilities belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. This plan stems from his conviction that limited strikes have failed to halt Iranian attacks or deter Tehran from threatening navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and targeting US forces in the region.
According to the newspaper, Cooper proposed an option involving a rapid, focused escalation aimed at significantly reducing Iran’s missile capabilities, thereby decreasing the need to deploy additional US interceptor missiles by weakening Tehran’s ability to carry out new attacks.
However, the President has not yet made a final decision, as he is weighing two parallel options: proceeding with an aerial campaign lasting 10 to 14 days, or limiting the response to a military strike that allows the diplomatic track to continue.
Trump discussed these options last week during a meeting that included Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, and Cooper, while continuing to assess the scale of the response following recent Iranian attacks.
Cooper is pushing to expand strikes to inflict significant damage on Iran’s missile infrastructure and break the stalemate, while General Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has adopted a more cautious stance, warning that a broad campaign could deplete US stocks of interceptor missiles, which are also needed to protect US bases and allies in other parts of the world.
Conversely, Cooper believes that striking launch platforms and command centers more heavily would reduce the number of Iranian attacks, thereby alleviating pressure on US air defense systems.
The newspaper added that Hegseth supports this approach, while Pentagon spokesperson Sean Barnhill confirmed that Hegseth, Cooper, and Caine are working in unison to implement the President’s directives.
The newspaper revealed that US officials had discussed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the possibility of Israel participating in any broad US military operation, should Washington decide to move to a wider phase of confrontation.
It noted that US intelligence estimates indicate that 21 to 22 percent of Iran’s missile system remains intact and operational despite strikes carried out over the past months, a finding that bolsters arguments for expanding the military campaign.
In the same vein, NBC News reported that Trump has expressed growing frustration over the stalled efforts to end the war and the continuing disagreements within his National Security team regarding the appropriate strategy.
Citing an ally of Trump, the network reported that the President did not expect negotiations to take so long, nor did he intend for the confrontation to turn into a protracted war, adding that the administration still lacks a consensus on how to end the conflict and achieve its objectives.
The network also quoted a US official, who requested anonymity, stating that Trump’s frustration stemmed from a lack of consensus within the administration regarding the course of the war that began on February 28. The official noted that while Washington had achieved “tactical victories,” there was an absence of clear political direction or a final decision on the path the war should take.
In its first military move since suspending airstrikes a few days ago, US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Wednesday evening the execution of a “heavy wave” of raids targeting dozens of sites belonging to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, including command centers, missile and drone facilities, as well as surveillance, coastal defense, and naval capabilities.
CENTCOM affirmed that the strikes aimed to reduce the threats posed by Tehran and its proxies to US forces, commercial navigation, and neighboring Gulf states. It confirmed that all Iranian missiles targeting US forces in Jordan were intercepted, and that more than 50,000 US troops in the Middle East remained on high alert.
CENTCOM denied claims by the Revolutionary Guard that three F-35 fighter jets and three other aircraft were destroyed during an Iranian attack on a US airbase. It asserted that no US aircraft were destroyed or damaged, and that all Iranian missiles and drones were either intercepted or failed to reach their intended targets.
The command emphasized that the direct risks threatening commercial ships and their civilian crews stemmed from verbal threats and attack attempts carried out by the Revolutionary Guard.
Prior to the strikes, the US President had announced that the United States would respond with “overwhelming force,” stating that the resumption of operations followed the end of a five-day pause in Iranian missile attacks, which Washington had used to offer a new opportunity for negotiations.
Jordan, for its part, announced that it had intercepted five missiles launched by Iran, with no casualties reported.
The Revolutionary Guard announced that two oil tankers attempted to leave the “safe passage” designated by Iran on Wednesday evening, with one of them catching fire.
Politically, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, during a phone call with his Bulgarian counterpart Vesela Tsacheva-Chimova in Sofia, urged Bulgaria to reconsider its decision to temporarily allow the deployment of US military aircraft at Bezmer Air Base.
For its part, Pakistan, the intermediary state in the dispute between Washington and Tehran, announced that “negotiations are underway among the parties, particularly regarding the Strait of Hormuz, with the aim of de-escalating tensions.” It noted that it was doing “everything in its power” to bring all parties back to the memorandum of understanding signed in June, which aimed to pave the way for ending the war.
