President Donald Trump's military campaign against Iran is increasingly being viewed as preparation for a potentially broader conflict, with recent U.S. strikes designed not only to weaken Tehran's ability to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz but also to expand Washington's military options if diplomacy fails.
U.S. officials familiar with the operation told Reuters that the latest wave of attacks has focused on dismantling Iran's air-defense network, missile infrastructure and coastal military assets, creating conditions that would make additional operations easier should Trump decide to escalate the conflict further. The campaign comes as the president publicly warned Iran that critical infrastructure could become the next targets unless negotiations resume.
One official described the ongoing operations as a "shaping operation" for future military action.
"This is helping set the stage, if needed," the official told Reuters.
The latest developments underscore a significant shift in U.S. strategy. While earlier strikes centered on protecting commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, military planners are now reportedly positioning forces to support a wider campaign if diplomatic efforts collapse.
Trump reinforced that message during an interview with Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst, where he warned Tehran that key elements of its infrastructure could soon come under attack.
"Next week it gets really bad for them," Trump said.
"Next week comes the power plants, next week comes the bridges. We're going to knock out all of their power plants. We'll knock out all of their bridges unless they get to the table and negotiate."
Axios separately reported that Trump convened a Situation Room meeting Tuesday to review plans for an expanded military offensive against Iran. According to the report, officials discussed broadening operations beyond the recent strikes concentrated around the Strait of Hormuz.
The military campaign has already targeted a wide range of Iranian capabilities, including:
- Air-defense systems
- Coastal radar installations
- Missile launch sites
- Drone facilities
- Maritime military assets
Those operations are intended to reduce Iran's ability to threaten commercial vessels traveling through one of the world's most strategically important shipping lanes.
Iran has responded with increasingly aggressive rhetoric, warning that any expansion of the U.S. campaign would trigger retaliation across the region.
A spokesperson for Iran's top military command declared that "everything that is still intact," referring to "all the infrastructure in the region, will be crushed under the steel blows of the powerful armed forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran; so that no trace of them remains and it is as if they never existed in the first place."
The spokesperson also rejected any expanded American role in the Strait of Hormuz, stating, "Under no circumstances and in no way will we allow America, as a foreign and extra-regional country, to interfere in the Strait of Hormuz," calling it "Iran's invincible red line."
Despite the threats, the United States continued its operations Wednesday night. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said American forces struck another series of Iranian military targets as part of the ongoing campaign.
CENTCOM said the strikes targeted "command centers, air defense sites, missile and drone capabilities, and coastal surveillance facilities to further degrade Iran's ability to threaten innocent mariners crewing commercial vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz."
The command added that "CENTCOM used precision munitions to hit targets in multiple locations including Bandar Abbas," one of Iran's most strategically important naval hubs along the Persian Gulf.
