Reports: Trump Orders New Iran Strikes; Tehran Vows Response

US officials said on July 31 that President Donald Trump has ordered a new round of strikes against Iran that could begin as early as the weekend of August 1-2, as Washington presses Tehran to “surrender” amid the 2026 US-Israeli war. According to The Paper, the operation could last several days, with power plants and oil refineries reported as likely targets and US officials also discussing the possibility of cutting off Tehran’s electricity supply. Iranian officials responded within hours, saying they have prepared a comprehensive plan to retaliate against Israeli critical infrastructure and US energy installations in the region.

Context

The reported order deepens a conflict that began on February 28, 2026, when US and Israeli airstrikes killed senior Iranian officials. A Pakistan-mediated ceasefire in April briefly raised hopes of a negotiated settlement, but talks stalled and the truce collapsed as the US resumed strikes in early July. On July 30, US forces carried out overnight strikes on Iran — the first in more than five days — after Trump vowed to hit the country “very hard,” according to The Guardian. Analysts cited by The Guardian described the renewed exchange as pushing the region into “uncharted territory” and underscored how difficult it has become to wind down a five-month conflict that has jolted the world economy and remains unpopular among Americans.

Key Developments

The reported plan emerged after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited Washington, with US officials saying Israel had been notified and was coordinating on the operation. If a joint US-Israeli campaign proceeds, it would mark Israel resuming combat operations paused during the US-brokered ceasefire, CBS News reported via The Paper. Officials discussed trying to end the strikes before financial markets opened on August 3 to reduce the impact on the US and global economy, though no specific end time had been confirmed.

At a Cabinet meeting at Camp David on July 31, Trump told reporters the US will hit Iran “hard” and said that “one day they will say ‘we can’t take it anymore.’” He expressed growing distrust of Iran and uncertainty about reaching a deal; The Paper also reported that White House political aides strongly opposed the military plan.

Iran’s leadership has signaled that it is prepared for further escalation. A senior Iranian security official told Tasnim News Agency that American media reports about possible attacks on Iranian infrastructure amounted to “a kind of madness,” adding: “Because we have prepared a comprehensive plan to respond (to any such attack) that includes (targeting) the vital infrastructure of the Zionist regime and the US energy infrastructure in the region and we are ready for it.” The official said Iran’s armed forces had shown both the ability and the will to do so during the 40-day war and in recent weeks. In a separate statement, the official described any attack on Iranian infrastructure as a “reckless” act, according to CCTV News citing Xinhua.

The war has already widened beyond Iran’s borders. Iranian media reported that Iran attacked a US Air Force base in Kuwait on July 31 in retaliation for recent US strikes, and Kuwait’s military said it had “engaged and destroyed” drones fired into its airspace, The Paper reported. Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reported that chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell declined to comment on specific targets before the president’s final decision, saying the “Department of War is locked and loaded, ready to execute the president’s directives at a moment’s notice.” Al Jazeera also noted that Trump had not yet given the final go-ahead for the planned attacks.

Analysis

The standoff carries acute risks for global energy markets. The Strait of Hormuz is a chokepoint for a significant share of world oil trade, and Iranian officials have warned that Washington’s naval posture will only “tighten the lock” on the waterway. Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said the US naval blockade and “arson” would “close other straits and bottlenecks; and the global economy, the energy market, and American voters will pay the price,” as reported by Al Jazeera. Any US-Israeli strikes on Iranian energy infrastructure could therefore send shock waves through an already volatile market.

There are also political risks in Washington. The White House opposition to the reported plan reflects broader unease about a war that The Guardian noted is unpopular among Americans and has drawn down US stockpiles of sophisticated munitions. A new multi-day bombing campaign would test both domestic support and the resilience of the US-Israeli alliance, particularly after months of fighting that has already expanded to include strikes in Iraq, Kuwait and the waters of the Gulf.

For Tehran, the calculus is similarly fraught. The Tasnim statement suggests Iran is betting that the threat of retaliation against US energy infrastructure and Israeli strategic sites will deter Washington from approving the most aggressive options. But it also leaves little room for de-escalation if the reported orders are carried out.

What’s Next

The immediate question is whether Trump gives the final order. Reports as of August 1 indicated that the plan had not been definitively approved, and US officials had discussed timing the operation to avoid market turbulence. If strikes do begin this weekend, the focus will shift to the scale and duration of the campaign — and to whether Iran follows through on its stated plan to strike Israeli infrastructure and US energy assets in the region.

The coming days will also test whether diplomacy can re-emerge despite the renewed hostilities. The collapse of the spring ceasefire and the resumption of tit-for-tat strikes suggest the conflict has entered a more dangerous phase, with both sides preparing for escalation even as mediators continue to search for an off-ramp.