CBS News reports that the United States and Israel are preparing what would rank among the harshest bombing campaigns yet against Iran’s energy infrastructure, according to multiple sources familiar with the planning.
Kabul 24: Strikes could begin as early as this weekend and may last several days.Targets would likely include power plants, oil refineries, and other critical energy facilities. U.S. officials have discussed the possibility of cutting electricity across Tehran, though no final decision on that step had been made as of Friday afternoon.
Planners also talked about wrapping up operations before global financial markets open Monday to limit economic fallout, but no firm end date has been set.President Donald Trump has not yet given the final go-ahead.
The plan was discussed during his cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday. Some White House aides focused on politics strongly opposed moving forward.
Speaking to reporters, Trump said the U.S. would hit Iran “very hard” and added, “At some point, they’re going to say, ‘We just can’t take it anymore.’” Asked about diplomacy, he replied, “I think we just want to win.”White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told CBS News that the United States will win and Iran will not obtain a nuclear weapon under Trump’s watch.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the department is “locked and loaded” and ready to execute the president’s orders but declined to comment on specific targets before a decision is made.U.S. sources say Israeli officials have been notified and are coordinating with American forces.
A joint operation would mark Israel’s return to combat after it paused during an earlier U.S.-brokered truce. However, an Israeli official told CBS News that Israel is unaware of any decision to restart full military operations and has not been asked to join strikes against Iran.
A former U.S. military official noted that hitting energy infrastructure could degrade the Iranian military’s ability to provide services and govern effectively.
The energy sector is seen as central to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ control. The conflict is now entering its sixth month, and Trump has grown increasingly impatient.Last week Trump posted that he would bomb an Iranian bridge or power plant for every attack on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The United States has already struck dual-use bridges in the current campaign. Sources emphasize that final orders remain pending and that the operation, if approved, would represent one of the most severe attacks on Iran’s energy sector to date.
