American forces are ready to launch major strikes on Iran within 96 hours of an order, officials say

The plans are drawn and the forces are in place. Two American officials told CNN that the United States can open a new round of operations against Iran within 96 hours of a presidential order, and that what is being prepared goes well beyond the limited strikes on radars and launchers that have kept the war simmering since President Trump halted full combat operations earlier this year. "It will be a big effort," one official said. Central Command and the Pentagon have built a target list that includes Iranian energy infrastructure, military sites and nuclear facilities.

Trump has not decided. Officials say he appears to be leaning toward major action and that most of them expect the order, if it comes, after the November 3 midterm elections, though it could come at any point before the end of the year. They also caution that Trump has leaned toward action before and backed off at the last moment. The White House declined to comment. A senior Pentagon official said in a statement, "The Department is a planning organization, and its job is to develop and execute military options ordered by the President."

Israel wanted to move sooner. Two American officials and an Israeli security source told CNN that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed for a joint attack on Iran before the Israeli election on Tuesday, and that Trump did not give him the green light. "Netanyahu really wanted and tried to convince Trump for a joint attack in Iran before the elections, and Trump did not give a green light," the Israeli source said. Netanyahu's office called the account fake news. Channel 12 News reported on Sunday that the army chief of staff, Eyal Zamir, received a directive from the political leadership tied to Iran and asked for a full discussion and legal authorizations before carrying it out, fearing a miscalculation that could start a conflict two days before the vote. Defense Minister Israel Katz called that report completely baseless and false. One reason given for the delay is that Zamir told the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Dan Caine, that an attack would harm the Israeli elections and could force their postponement. Israel also needs American help with missile defense, and its defensive munitions have been strained by the war.

The threat runs both ways. An unclassified memo dated October 23 from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio says American intelligence has found that Iran has substantially increased its efforts to target American personnel, and that the plotting has reached advanced stages in the Middle East and in certain other countries. American officials believe Iran and the Houthis are unlikely to strike first, but would answer an attack on Iran at once, against American personnel and facilities in the region and possibly beyond it. The American embassy in Riyadh is the only mission in the region under an ordered departure, and officials expect others to be scaled down in the coming days. Nonessential military personnel who were due to rotate into the Middle East have been told they are no longer being sent.

On Sunday the Central Command chief, Admiral Brad Cooper, flew over the Strait of Hormuz, where American forces are keeping the blockade on Iranian ports and clearing Iranian mines while they help shipping through. "We continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Gulf partners and the shipping industry," Cooper said. Tanker traffic through the strait has risen, and oil prices remain high on the threat of Iranian attacks. One American official acknowledged that the present position around the strait is untenable for the long term, and that, without a diplomatic breakthrough at the last minute, it is one reason Trump may turn to military action.