Missiles displayed on a street in Tehran, in front of a portrait of Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, on Sept. 27, 2026. (Credit: Majid Asgaripour/WANA/Reuters)
The Pentagon recently asked CENTCOM, the U.S. Central Command responsible for military operations in the Middle East, to "conclude preparations" for a possible resumption of major combat operations against Iran, which could take place jointly with Israel, Axios reported.
A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said U.S. President Donald Trump has all options available at any time.
"The U.S. is in a very strong position with control of the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian economy collapsing. Iran has been decimated, and things will go one of two ways: the easy way or the hard way," the official said. According to Axios sources, new military operations could target Iran's energy, strategic, and nuclear infrastructure.
"The Department's job is to develop and present military options to the President," a Pentagon official said, emphasizing that no deadline had been set. Media reports in recent days have mentioned a possible resumption of the war before the U.S. midterm elections in November or even before Israel's legislative elections on Oct. 27.
If operations resume against Iran, they would likely be conducted jointly with Israel, according to Axios. Two Israeli officials claimed, "The Iranian regime is desperate and paranoid, which might lead it to strike first," mentioning it had already been hit by two surprise attacks and does not want to be surprised by a third.
"The discussion about possible resumption of major combat operations in Iran has increased. The chances of it happening before the elections are not high, but we don't rule it out. After the midterms, the chances of it happening increase significantly," one of the officials said.
The information emerged a day after a call between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the third commemoration of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack, as well as after Netanyahu's meeting with his national security team on Iran.
A resumption of the war by November could influence the U.S. midterm elections, notably by driving up energy prices. In Israel, renewed fighting could benefit Netanyahu politically.
Tensions have again risen in the Gulf as negotiations between the United States and Iran have stalled for weeks. On Tuesday, Vice President JD Vance said a significant and concrete reduction in Iran's uranium enrichment capacity was a major condition for ending the war, while Tehran responded that its right to enrich uranium was a "red line."
