US shaping battlefield for broader Iran campaign, officials say

Recent waves of US strikes on Iran aimed at forcing open the Strait of Hormuz are also targeting Iranian military capabilities the US would want to destroy before executing more complex operations against Iran, three US officials said.The officials, who were granted anonymity to discuss military matters, said the strikes effectively strengthen additional military options for President Donald Trump, who has kept the world guessing about his next steps after notifying Congress last weekend of a formal resumption of conflict with Iran.Now in its fifth month, the Iran war continues to rage after the unraveling of a memorandum of understanding that was meant to stop the fighting and pave the way for a peace agreement.Despite heavy blows to Iran's military since the start of the US and Israeli campaign on February 28, Tehran retains significant drone and missile capability and has attacked passing tankers as well as its Gulf neighbors.US targets Iran's defenses as Trump weighs next military movesThe US military has said its latest bombings have targeted Iranian air defense systems, coastal radar, missile and drone sites as well as small boats and other maritime assets.One of the US officials said the strikes could be seen as "shaping operations" that are degrading Iranian defenses in case the US military was ordered to carry out more intensive operations in the future."This is helping set the stage, if needed," the official said.The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Reuters in March reported on US military planning to create options to deploy US troops to Iran's shoreline to better secure the Strait. At the time, officials said the Trump administration had also discussed sending ground forces to Iran's Kharg Island, the hub for 90% of Iran's oil exports. Such an operation would be risky, since Iran could shower the island with missiles and drones from the mainland.Trump said on Tuesday he had ordered his military to avoid striking Iran's oil facilities during previous strikes against Kharg Island. But he has left open the option of taking the island."If we degrade them far enough and deep enough back, I would do that," he told Fox News.Trump has also threatened to attack a site linked to Iran's nuclear program known as Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified facility buried deep underground near one of Tehran's main nuclear sites.Mark Cancian, a retired US Marine officer at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said Trump's willingness to publicly discuss military options, such as seizing Kharg Island, was a double-edged sword.It could aid diplomacy by putting the Iranians on edge. But it's "bad for the military, because we're saying where we might be going," he said.Critics of Trump's war with Iran, including within the US Congress, say that while it achieved tactical victories that destroyed big swathes of Iran's conventional military and defense industrial base, it failed strategically to win concessions from Tehran.It also prompted Iran to exert unprecedented leverage over the Strait of Hormuz, a critical chokepoint for a fifth of the world's crude output. Even if its conventional navy was largely destroyed, it could still attack commercial vessels using capabilities like drones and rockets.Trump admin leans to expanding US operations, war with IranThat has led to a debate within the Trump administration about the best way forward, US officials say. A fourth official said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been an advocate of escalating the military operation against Iran.Some US officials are saying that the president is leaning towards expanding US military operations against the Iranian regime. With the breakdown of the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding and a return to hostilities, the president has lost his patience with Tehran. "I don't want to deal with them [Iran] anymore. They're scum. They're sick people," Trump said on July 8 when asked whether or not the MoU was nullified following strikes between the US and Iran. "To me, I think it's over."Aides presented Trump with several options, which include the expansion of airstrikes, as has been the trend in recent weeks. The Situation Room also renewed the option for the president to send in ground troops to seize Kharg Island and other territories, as well as bombing an underground network at Pickaxe Mountain which is suspected of hosting nuclear materials, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal.Imran Bayoumi, a former Pentagon official now with the Atlantic Council, said Trump's sweeping comments in recent days on Iran appeared to be aimed at pressuring Iran in negotiations and keeping Tehran unsure about his military's next steps. "I would separate the noise from the actions," Bayoumi said. "I would expect the discussions between him and his national security team are looking a bit different than what he's posting online."President Trump has repeatedly and publicly threatened Iran with various escalations and strikes, and has consistently backed down from his most serious threats. The failure to reach a sufficient agreement and break the stalemate with Iran is leaving Trump with fewer diplomatic options. "We're going to take out Pickaxe Mountain," Trump said in a recent interview on Salem Radio Network. He also told Fox News that sending ground troops to take Kharg Island is unlikely, but remains on the table.Officials say that Trump has not finalized his decisions on the next steps in the war, as he prefers solving the dispute with Iran diplomatically, according to the WSJ. However, the regime's failure to comply with his demands of surrendering nuclear material and of freeing transit in the Strait of Hormuz is leading the president to strongly consider escalating the war to new heights.