The United States could resume its bombardment of Iran within days in a joint effort with Israel to “finish the job”, according to reports, raising the prospect of a renewed regional war with potentially severe consequences for global energy markets.
US forces have been ordered to prepare a fresh wave of attacks designed to inflict a decisive blow rather than simply “mowing the lawn”, officials told CNN.
The US Central Command is developing a list of potential targets across Iran’s military, energy and nuclear infrastructure, one source said, describing the anticipated operation as “a big effort”.
The reported preparations come as President Donald Trump faces next week’s US midterm elections and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approaches a political contest amid continuing anger over the October 7 attacks and the inconclusive wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran.
The military build-up has accelerated in recent days, with Washington sending a third aircraft carrier and thousands of additional troops to the region. Yet diplomatic efforts to bring Tehran and Washington back to formal negotiations appear to have made little progress, eight months after the conflict began in February.
The danger of escalation extends beyond Iran itself. A separate source warned that any fresh American or Israeli strikes would trigger immediate retaliation against US facilities across the region.
Netanyahu has also warned that Iran or its proxies could attempt to disrupt Israel’s election. In a video statement on Sunday, he said the military was “ready to both defend and strike”, adding: “You will suffer disproportionate blows far greater than you can imagine.”
Tehran, meanwhile, has signalled that its potential targets could extend beyond conventional military installations to include infrastructure such as data centres and undersea cables, raising concerns about the vulnerability of critical networks in a wider confrontation.
Iran has continued to promote a proposal to end the war and fully reopen the Strait of Hormuz within a week, subject to conditions including the lifting of a US blockade on Iranian ports. Trump has rejected the offer, while indirect discussions have continued alongside attacks on ships navigating the strait.
A return to sustained hostilities could place further strain on global supplies of crude oil, natural gas and fertiliser, with renewed disruption threatening to drive prices higher. The strait is a critical artery for international energy trade, and this month has seen the highest number of reported attacks on commercial vessels there since the opening weeks of the war in March.
The economic consequences could prove politically damaging on both sides of the Atlantic. Higher energy costs risk intensifying pressure on American households ahead of the midterms, while Netanyahu faces a tight electoral contest amid public anger over security failures and the costs of prolonged conflict.
Trump has publicly backed the Israeli leader, calling him an “outstanding warrior prime minister” and urging voters to support him so the allies can “finish the job that we started”.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that previous US operations had severely weakened Iran’s military capabilities and prevented it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
“We did Operation Midnight Hammer, stopping the World’s Number One State Sponsor of Terror from obtaining a Nuclear Weapon,” he wrote. “Then we did Operation Epic Fury, and Iran now has No Navy, No Air Force, and both their Military and Economy are in shambles.”
Those claims have not been independently established by the information provided.
With military forces moving into position, diplomacy stalled and commercial shipping facing renewed danger, the prospect of fresh strikes has exposed how quickly the conflict could widen. Any new offensive would risk retaliation against US bases, further disruption to maritime trade and another shock to global energy markets — with the consequences extending well beyond the Middle East.
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