The Washington-based website The Hill reported that CENTCOM has drawn up plans for follow-up strikes if authorised by the White House, with several options prepared for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Earlier this month, Axios reported that the Pentagon had instructed CENTCOM to complete preparations for a possible resumption of major combat operations, which could target Iranian energy facilities, infrastructure and nuclear sites. The New York Times reported on Wednesday that the US and Israel have drawn up joint plans for an attack after the November 3 US midterm elections.
Trump has added to the uncertainty. At a rally on Friday, he suggested Washington "may do another little Epic Fury," the codename for the US-Israeli operation against Iran that began in late February. On Saturday, he declined to disclose the timing of any possible attack while suggesting one could come as early as Sunday. He has also held out the possibility of a "big, beautiful" agreement with Tehran.
Iran has combined calls for further negotiations with warnings of a broader response. President Masoud Pezeshkian accused Washington of derailing talks but said efforts to reach an agreement should continue. Iran's army reported shooting down a US-developed LUCAS drone over the southern port city of Bandar Abbas. The Reuters news agency reported, quoting Iranian security officials, that Tehran has drawn up plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf in the event of a resumption of US and Israeli attacks.
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Hossein Mohebi announced a shift in military doctrine, warning that countries hosting bases used in US attacks could themselves become targets. "Our defence doctrine was previously defensive; we used to say that if a country attacks us, we will respond. Now we say that if a country attacks us, we will both respond and launch an offensive," Mohebi said.
The reports come alongside US warnings about Iranian threats to American personnel. An intelligence memo sent by Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran had "substantially increased efforts to target US personnel." The State Department has ordered staffing reductions at several regional embassies.
Analysts point to a high risk of escalation. Julie Norman, an associate fellow at Chatham House, said the military preparations served as both an immediate deterrent and a very real option after the midterms. "I would say both parties are certainly very prepared for another round of escalation," she told Al Jazeera. Mohamad Elmasry, a professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, cautioned that a renewed round of fighting "could actually be more dangerous, more catastrophic than the previous round."
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, facing a domestic election on Tuesday and dwindling poll support, has been pushing for an attack. October has become the worst month for attacks on ships since the war began, with more than 120 attacks recorded near the Strait of Hormuz. The US is also deploying the USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group, along with roughly 10,000 additional soldiers and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit to the Middle East.