America is readying new strikes on Iran despite Trump ruling them out
2 hours ago · 9 October 2026Share
Ships from Carrier Strike Group 8, led by the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, are underway in formation. File photo. Official Navy Page from United States of America MC2 Julia A. Casper/U.S. Navy · Public domain
The Pentagon has drawn up fresh plans for a big military campaign against Iran.
And here's the strange part. Donald Trump, the US President, has already said no to five separate versions of this plan over the past few months.
The New York Times reported the new plans a few hours ago, citing people close to the discussions.
So what's different this time? It's a shorter campaign. About three days. Hitting Iran's missile and drone stockpiles, its energy sites, and Revolutionary Guard command centres and headquarters.
Trump has told military planners to keep developing options. Even though he's turned down every big operation put in front of him so far.
So the President is asking for more war plans while refusing to use the ones he's already got.
And the timing here matters a lot.
Earlier the same day, Trump said the US won't strike Iran before the midterm elections on 3 November. He posted on Truth Social that Washington is having, in his words, quote "productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran". He said Iran is under serious economic and military strain. But he also said the US blockade stays in place.
So in public, Trump is talking peace. In private, according to the New York Times, his own commanders have been told to stay ready to launch within days if he changes his mind.
And this planning sits inside something much bigger.
Three US aircraft carriers are now converging on the Middle East. The USS George H.W. Bush and USS George Washington are already there. The USS Theodore Roosevelt left San Diego 11 days ago.
A US official has told Al Jazeera that by the end of November, all three carriers and two amphibious landing groups will be in place. That adds 9,000 to 10,000 troops to the roughly 50,000 American troops already in the region.
This is the first time since the 2003 invasion of Iraq that three American aircraft carriers have operated there at once.
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Contains NASA Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit imagery showing a view of Iran from the International Space Station. Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit , Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center · Public domain
Pete Hegseth, the US Defense Secretary, says American forces are ready to go the moment Trump gives the order.
The Pentagon has also told US Central Command to finish getting ready for a possible return to major combat. Axios reported that instruction days before the New York Times story came out.
And the build-up has already reached Israel.
Two days ago, senior US figures briefed Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, the Israeli military's Chief of Staff, on plans to possibly resume major operations within three weeks. He warned this could force Israel to delay its own elections.
Now, some background. This war has been running for more than seven months. The US and Israel launched it on 28 February. The US resumed large-scale strikes in July after accusing Iran of breaking a ceasefire over the Strait of Hormuz.
Since the last big exchange of strikes last month, Iran has attacked at least 13 ships, according to a monitoring group run by the British Navy. US intelligence puts the number closer to 20.
American forces are under more strain than earlier in the war too. Iran has improved its tactics, partly using satellite images bought from Chinese companies. So US forces are firing more interceptors at incoming missiles than before. That's putting pressure on America's own ammunition stockpiles.
Diplomacy hasn't stopped either. Washington says talks through intermediaries have made some progress. But the two sides still disagree on the basics. Washington wants a nuclear deal settled first. Iran wants the nuclear question left until the very end.
No Iranian official has responded to the New York Times report yet.
So here's what we don't know. Whether Trump will actually approve any of this. When a decision might land. What would even need to happen for him to change his mind. And it's not clear yet whether the three carriers will really overlap in the region, or whether one is simply swapping out for another.
For now, the plans are sitting on the table. So is Trump's refusal to use them.
And three aircraft carriers are steaming towards the same stretch of water anyway.
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