Pentagon readies follow-up strike plans against Iran as Tehran threatens ‘apocalyptic war’

US Central Command, which oversees American forces in the Middle East, has plans ready to conduct follow-up strikes against Iran^1,3. The strikes would go ahead if authorised by the White House².

Asked about the preparations, a Pentagon official said the Defense Department’s “job is to develop and present military options”⁴. Multiple options were being presented to War Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to one official, and the planning points to strikes after the US midterm elections⁵. President Donald Trump has warned that strikes on Iran could come “tomorrow”^3,5.

Hegseth also made an unannounced stop in Israel this week; Israel launched the war against Iran alongside the United States⁶. Trump is preparing for escalation after both the US and Israeli elections^6,7. Central Command has meanwhile moved some aircraft out of Middle East air bases to limit losses if fighting with Iran resumes^8,9.

Tehran’s response

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Saturday renewed its warning that any US or Israeli attack, even a limited one, would bring catastrophic consequences¹¹. Iran has vowed an “apocalyptic war” if the United States strikes again¹⁰.

Iranian officials also disputed US claims about the state of Iran’s forces, asking why, if Iran’s military capabilities had been eliminated, US warships and military forces had not “dared approach the Strait of Hormuz”¹⁰.

Ebrahim Azizi, who chairs the Iranian parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, warned on Saturday that Iran could make Israel “uninhabitable” within an hour¹³. A senior Iranian lawmaker made the same threat in a Hebrew-language post, tying it to any action against Iran’s security or national interests¹⁴.

Yadollah Javani, a senior Revolutionary Guard official, warned about seven major internet cables beneath the Strait, and Iranian officials say Tehran plans to cut Gulf internet cables and block their repair if the war resumes¹².

Why it matters to investors

The threats are aimed at infrastructure beyond the battlefield: shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and the data cables that run beneath it^10,12. The wider region is already under strain, with Iran-aligned Houthis having pummelled the airport in Riyadh⁷.

The reported timing matters as much as the plans themselves. Officials describe options for strikes after the midterms, while the president has said action could come sooner^3,5.

What to watch

The key decision is whether the White House authorises the plans Central Command has prepared². Further moves of US aircraft away from regional bases would signal how commanders rate the risk of Iranian retaliation⁸. In Tehran, any step from threats against the Gulf’s undersea cables towards action would widen the economic reach of a renewed conflict¹².