US military officials have begun planning strikes on Iranian infrastructure and capabilities in the Strait of Hormuz should the ceasefire collapse, CNN reported on Thursday night, citing multiple sources familiar with the matter.
According to the sources, the planned options include strikes that would “dynamically target” Iran’s capabilities in the Strait of Hormuz, the southern Arabian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman.
This would include US attacks on Iran’s small fast attack boats and minelaying vessels, among other naval assets.
However, multiple sources, including a senior shipping broker, warned CNN that military strikes on the Strait of Hormuz are unlikely to reopen the strait on their own.
“Unless you can unequivocally prove that 100% of Iran’s military capability is destroyed or near certainty that the US can mitigate the risk with our capability, it will come down to how badly [US President Donald Trump] is willing to accept the risk and start pushing ships through the strait,” one source familiar with the planning told CNN.
Alternatively, the sources added, the option to strike Iranian energy infrastructure, as Trump had previously threatened, remains on the table as a way to pressure Tehran into agreeing to a deal.
Regardless, striking such infrastructure would “represent a controversial escalation in the conflict,” officials have warned.
A third option on the table is targeting Iranian military leaders and “obstructionists,” the US believes are hampering negotiations, according to one of the sources, who went on to list Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander in Chief Ahmad Vahidi.
“Due to operations security, we do not discuss future or hypothetical movements,” a Defense Department official told CNN when asked about target planning. “The US military continues to provide the President options, and all options remain on the table.”
Source:
www.jpost.com
