With a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran showing signs of strain and diplomatic talks at an uncertain juncture, US military officials are developing new plans to target Iran's capabilities in the Strait of Hormuz in the event the current ceasefire falls apart, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter cited by CNN.
The options include strikes with a particular focus on "dynamic targeting" of Iran's capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz, southern Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman — potential attacks against small fast attack boats, minelaying vessels and other asymmetric assets that have helped Tehran effectively shut down those key waterways, the source said.
That shutdown has caused massive ripples in the global economy, threatening to undermine US President Donald Trump's efforts to reduce US inflation, and has occurred despite a ceasefire pausing US strikes that began on April 7.
While the military has targeted Iran's Navy, much of the first month of bombing was focused on targets away from the strait. The new plans call for a much more concentrated bombing campaign around the strategic waterways, the report said.
But senior officials are under no illusion that airstrikes alone will reopen the strait quickly. "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 is [Trump] willing to accept the risk and start pushing ships through the strait," one source familiar with the military planning told CNN.
Beyond targeting naval assets, planners are also weighing two other options. As per the sources, the US military could follow through on Trump's previous threat to strike dual-use and infrastructure targets, including energy facilities, to compel Iran to the negotiating table — a move some current and former US officials have warned would represent a controversial escalation.
Another option is to target individual Iranian military leaders and "obstructionists" within the regime, including Ahmad Vahidi, Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who US officials say is actively undermining negotiations, sources added.
The Pentagon offered a guarded response when pressed. "Due to operations security, we do not discuss future or hypothetical movements," a Defense Department official told CNN. "The US military continues to provide the President options, and all options remain on the table.", the officer added.
Trump, meanwhile, has publicly attributed the diplomatic deadlock to internal chaos within Tehran.
"Iran is having a very hard time figuring out who their leader is! They just don't know! The infighting is between the 'Hardliners,' who have been losing BADLY on the battlefield, and the 'Moderates,' who are not very moderate at all (but gaining respect!), is CRAZY!" he wrote on Truth Social Thursday.
Earlier reports suggest that a large percentage of Iran's coastal defence missiles remain intact, and that roughly half of Iran's missile launchers and thousands of one-way attack drones survived the initial US bombing campaign.
Last week, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth acknowledged that Iran has moved some of its remaining military assets to new locations during the ceasefire and threatened to hit those targets should Iran refuse a deal.
Meanwhile, the US Navy currently has 19 ships in the Middle East, including two aircraft carriers, and seven ships in the Indian Ocean, reports suggest.
The US military began enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports on April 13 and has redirected at least 33 ships as of Thursday, as per various reports.
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