US Navy Captain Daniel Keeler, commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, prepares to fly an MH-60R Sea Hawk helicopter in the Indian Ocean, January 23, 2026. Photo: US Navy/handout photo.
The United States military is preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long aggression against Iran if US President Donald Trump orders it, two US officials told Reuters, signaling the potential for a far more serious attack on Iran.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the planning, said preparations go beyond limited, one-off strikes and could evolve into a prolonged campaign depending on developments. The disclosure comes amid renewed diplomatic efforts between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program.
Diplomacy underway but US military buildup expands
US and Iranian diplomats held talks in Oman last week in an attempt to revive negotiations, even as Washington expanded its military presence in the region.
According to US officials, the Pentagon has deployed an additional aircraft carrier to West Asia, alongside thousands of troops, fighter aircraft, guided-missile destroyers, and other assets. Speaking to US troops at a base in North Carolina on Friday, Trump acknowledged alleged difficulties in reaching an agreement with Tehran.
“It has been difficult to make a deal,” Trump said, adding, “Sometimes you have to have fear.”
“That’s the only thing that really will get the situation taken care of,” he stated.
When asked about preparations for a potentially sustained military operation, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said, “President Trump has all options on the table with regard to Iran.”
“He listens to a variety of perspectives on any given issue, but makes the final decision based on what is best for our country and national security,” she said.
Last year, the United States deployed two aircraft carriers to the region and launched an aggression on Iranian nuclear sites. Iran responded at the time with a calculated retaliatory strike on a US base in Qatar.
US expects potential back-and-forth
Officials told Reuters that the current planning is more complex. In the event of a prolonged aggression, US forces could target Iranian state and security facilities in addition to nuclear infrastructure, according to one official who declined to provide further details.
Meanwhile, experts continue to warn that any large-scale confrontation with Iran would carry significant regional risks and put US troops in the region at risk. Tehran possesses an extensive missile arsenal and has repeatedly signaled that it would respond to attacks on its territory, whether the aggression is limited or sustained.
Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that in the event of strikes on Iranian soil, it could retaliate against US military bases throughout West Asia. The United States operates military facilities in Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkiye, as well as anti-missile batteries in occupied Palestine.
One US official told Reuters that Washington fully expects Iranian retaliation in the event of a strike, potentially leading to back-and-forth attacks over an extended period and increasing the likelihood of a broader regional conflict.
President Trump has repeatedly threatened an aggression against Iran. On Thursday, he warned that failure to reach a diplomatic solution would “be very traumatic, very traumatic.”
The US Keeps Openly Admitting It Deliberately Caused The Iran Protests
Netanyahu pushes for aggression
The remarks of US officials follow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the White House, where he said discussions with Trump focused “first and foremost about Iran”.
Netanyahu had previously expressed “general skepticism,” according to a statement issued by his office, stressing that any agreement between the US and Iran must include elements that are critically important to “Israel”, including Iran’s nuclear program, its ballistic missile program, and its ties to regional allies. These issues remain central to ongoing Israeli-Iran tensions, particularly as US officials signal interest in expanding the scope of talks beyond the nuclear file.
