Iran Strike: CENTCOM Plans Ready for as Early as Wednesday

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has drawn up plans for a possible strike on Iran that could be carried out as early as Wednesday evening, The New York Times reported, citing American officials. The window opens immediately after the US midterm elections.

Timing is driven by naval and lunar factors. Three American aircraft carriers will be in the region once the vote is over, creating what planners regard as ideal conditions, but only for a limited time. One of the carriers is due back in port after early November, and the military favors moonless nights, which fall in early November, for operations of this kind.

The report also states that Israel has provided the United States with intelligence suggesting Iran intends to use chemical weapons against its neighbors.

VINnews, drawing on the same reporting, wrote that Israeli intelligence officials believe Iran is working toward the ability to deliver chemical agents by missile, drone or covert operation. American officials are split over how credible the material is and whether Tehran would actually use such weapons.

Some US officials suspect Israel is trying to push President Donald Trump into resuming major military operations against Iran. Several Gulf officials who received similar briefings were also skeptical, saying Israel had offered no supporting evidence.

The dispute has revived comparisons with the flawed American intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction before the 2003 invasion. Some officials treat the Iranian threat as serious, while others caution that acting on unverified intelligence could set off a dangerous escalation across the Middle East.

US intelligence agencies have long assessed that Iran continues research into chemical and biological weapons capabilities. Tehran denies possessing chemical weapons, though it has acknowledged developing chemical capabilities during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s.

Alongside the military buildup, Washington is pursuing diplomatic efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and address Iran's nuclear program.

American soldiers (Photo: US Army CENTCOM)

In Israel, preparations on the home front are already visible. As JFeed reported on Tuesday, Karmiel became the first Israeli city to open its public shelters ahead of a possible renewed Iranian attack, with Mayor Moshe Koninsky urging residents to continue their routine and follow Home Front Command instructions.

The buildup has been under way for days. As JFeed reported on Sunday, Washington warned Gulf allies to prepare for a possible new round of strikes on Iran as early as November 4, according to three senior Gulf Arab officials who expected the strikes to be brief but intense. The previous Thursday, CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper presented strike options to Trump at the White House, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Israel's military, meanwhile, had completed its own preparations for another round, and ten US transport aircraft landed at the Ovda and Nevatim air bases in southern Israel last week as part of an airlift of military equipment into the region. Trump had stated in October that the United States would not attack Iran before the November 3 midterms.

Further updates to follow.