US President Donald Trump will receive a briefing on Thursday from the head of the Central Command, Brad Cooper, on new plans for potential military action against Iran. According to Axios, which first reported the development, CENTCOM has prepared a plan for a “short and powerful” wave of attacks on Iran, likely including infrastructure targets.
New US military options in Iran
The report added that the briefing signals that Trump is seriously considering resuming major combat operations to either break the deadlock in negotiations or deliver a final blow before ending the war.
Military options to be presented to Trump include taking over part of the Strait of Hormuz to reopen it, which could include a ground operation. A special forces operation to secure Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium could also be discussed, Axios sources said.
The US imposed a naval blockade of all Iranian ports on April 13 following the collapse of peace talks in Islamabad. Sources told Axios that Trump sees the blockade as his primary source of leverage, but would consider military action if Iran still does not agree to his demands.
Can the US and Iran reopen Hormuz?
Iran has reportedly proposed an interim deal to reopen Hormuz in exchange for Washington ending its blockade of Iranian ports while delaying more complex negotiations over the country’s nuclear program.
In the past few weeks, the United States has pushed for other countries to help restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz as oil prices have risen to their highest in more than four years on fears of longer-term disruptions to global fuel supplies.
Iran can gain access to uranium if it chooses: IAEA chief
Meanwhile, Rafael Mariano Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Iran could gain access to its stockpile of near-weapons-grade uranium if it chooses to retrieve material believed to be buried at US bombed sites.
“It’s accessible if you want to go there,” Grossi told Bloomberg TV.
While IAEA inspectors have not visited the sites where the material is located in 10 months, Grossi said satellite images indicate that most of the material remains buried where it was last seen near the Iranian city of Isfahan.
The IAEA chief spoke as Washington and Tehran seek to resume talks to end the conflict, which continues to restrict energy flows through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passed before war broke out in February. Grossi said he is in contact with White House special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
“It’s on and off, but the conversation is happening,” Grossi said, adding that his inspectors will remain critical of any outcome. “An agreement without verification is an illusion.”
