US finalizes Iran strike package for Isfahan nuclear raid and Kharg Island as classified review shows Tehran has rebuilt 30 of 33 missile positions
The US-Israeli joint command has finalized contingency plans to broaden Operation Epic Fury against Iran if the truce talks collapse, including a special-forces seizure of enriched material at the Isfahan nuclear facility, an amphibious assault to take Kharg Island, and expanded long-range bombardment of mainland targets, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and a New York Times report disclosed. Classified assessments show Iran has restored 30 of 33 missile positions along the Strait of Hormuz and retains around 70 percent of its mobile launchers and ballistic inventory and 90 percent of its underground bunkers, contradicting earlier White House statements that the Iranian military was "crushed" or "decimated." Donald Trump and Xi Jinping locked in an in-principle understanding in Beijing that Iran cannot be permitted to acquire a nuclear weapon, with Washington weighing a targeted easing of secondary sanctions on Chinese state and independent buyers of Iranian crude to keep Beijing inside the pressure regime.
The United States has finalized comprehensive contingency frameworks to reactivate and significantly broaden its military campaign against Iran if the current truce talks fail to produce a permanent settlement, according to a New York Times report citing the joint US-Israeli military command.
"We have an escalation plan if it is necessary," US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, though he acknowledged that the White House simultaneously maintains an alternative script involving the withdrawal of more than 50,000 US personnel from the Middle East. Officials said Operation Epic Fury, paused to allow space for mediation, could be resumed as early as next week under a new operational designation.
Planners are weighing a high-risk raid involving hundreds of US Special Forces operators to seize or neutralize enriched nuclear materials at the hardened Isfahan facility. Intelligence sources said the core strike team is already in the region but the operation would require thousands of conventional support troops to establish a protective corridor, carrying an elevated risk of American casualties. A parallel scenario calls for an amphibious assault on Kharg Island, the central hub handling the bulk of Iran's maritime oil exports, while a third option foresees expanded long-range aerial bombardments against military installations and dual-use civilian infrastructure across mainland Iran.
The rush to finalize the strike options is driven by classified assessments that contradict initial White House statements that the Iranian military had been "crushed" or "decimated." US intelligence reports cited by the Times show that despite heavy damage in the first weeks of the war, Iran has restored operational access to 30 of 33 critical missile positions along the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran retains roughly 70 percent of its mobile missile launchers, about 70 percent of its pre-war ballistic inventory, and 90 percent of its subterranean storage bunkers — an immediate threat to Allied warships and commercial shipping lanes.
The US strike footprint in the region currently includes 5,000 Marine Corps personnel, 2,000 paratroopers from the 82nd Airborne Division, two active carrier strike groups, more than a dozen guided-missile destroyers, and hundreds of combat aircraft staged across regional airbases.
The military posturing coincides with the diplomatic track that ran through Donald Trump's bilateral summit in Beijing with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Xi delivered sharp warnings on Taiwan, but the two leaders consolidated a foundational agreement in principle that Iran cannot be permitted to acquire a nuclear weapon under any circumstances. To preserve Beijing's alignment, Trump is reportedly considering a targeted easing of secondary US sanctions against Chinese state and independent energy companies that continue to purchase Iranian crude — a concession aimed at maintaining Chinese pressure on Tehran to sign a comprehensive non-proliferation framework while the Pentagon keeps its strike aircraft fuelled and ready if the diplomatic window slams shut.
The development follows Trump's signal on May 15 that he is prepared to accept a 20-year cap on Iran's nuclear programme as a basis for a deal, set against the backdrop of Saudi Arabia and the UAE conducting their first reported strikes on Iran the same day.