▲ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump
The United States and Israel are planning one of their most powerful airstrike campaigns to date targeting Iran's energy infrastructure this weekend (August 1–2), U.S. media outlets reported on July 31 (local time).
In response, Iran has warned of potential retaliation, stating that U.S. energy facilities in the Middle East could become targets if it is attacked.
U.S. broadcaster CBS News cited multiple sources in reporting the weekend attack plans by the U.S. and Israel.
According to the reports, discussions had taken place about concluding the airstrikes before financial markets open on August 3 due to concerns over the impact not only on the U.S. but also on the global economy, though a specific end time has not yet been finalized.
The strike plan has already been communicated to Israel, which had paused its attacks on Iran following the U.S.-Iran ceasefire last June, and both sides are currently holding consultations for the operation.
CBS reported that President Donald Trump has not yet given final approval.
Conversely, the U.S. daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing U.S. officials, reported that "President Trump has ordered new strikes to bring Iran to its knees, and the attacks are set to begin this weekend and continue for several days."
The officials added that President Trump has approved the new strike plan, which was briefed to him at his presidential retreat, though they noted the possibility that the attacks could be withheld and negotiations resumed if diplomatic progress is made, or that President Trump could simply change his mind.
While the two outlets differed on whether President Trump has given formal approval for the strikes, they aligned in reporting that a massive aerial bombardment against Iran is being pursued this weekend.
Regarding the possibility of U.S. weekend strikes, Iran warned, "We have prepared a comprehensive response plan in anticipation of reckless U.S. actions."
A senior Iranian security official told the Tasnim News Agency, "We consider what the U.S. media has claimed regarding potential attacks by the U.S. and the Zionist regime [Israel] as a form of madness," adding, "Because we have prepared a wide-ranging response plan that includes not only the Zionist regime's core infrastructure but also U.S. energy infrastructure in the region, and we are fully prepared for this."
The official further asserted, "The Iranian armed forces have proven through the 40-day war and the extended conflict in recent weeks that they possess both the capability and the resolve to carry out such actions."
The 40-day war refers to the conflict waged by the U.S. and Israel against Iran from February 28 until the ceasefire took effect on April 8.
The WSJ diagnosed that creating a diplomatic breakthrough remains difficult due to deep-seated distrust between the two sides.
President Trump has expressed frustration that Iran repeatedly fails to keep its negotiation promises, and is reported to have recently described the Iranian leadership to aides as "out of their minds."
Iran likewise appears to view prospects for negotiations as increasingly dimming amid persistent U.S. military threats and a lack of trust between the two countries.
President Trump earlier previewed massive airstrikes against Iran during a cabinet meeting held at Camp David in Maryland.
"We're going to hit them very hard," he said, adding, "At some point they [Iran] are going to say, 'We can't take it anymore.'"
The Iran war, which began on February 28, briefly seemed to lean toward a conclusion in mid-June as the U.S. and Iran forged a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to end the war and entered a negotiation phase.
However, conflicts resurfaced due to differing interpretations regarding the control of the Strait of Hormuz within the MOU. As Iran continued attacks on commercial merchant vessels in the strait, President Trump ordered 13 consecutive days of airstrikes against Iran starting July 11 Eastern Time, while Iran also struck U.S. military bases in the Middle East, leading to an armed standoff between the two sides for a period.
President Trump had suspended airstrikes starting July 24, citing ongoing negotiations with Iran, but after Iran launched a surprise preemptive attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan on July 28, the U.S. carried out retaliatory airstrikes on July 29, causing the level of tension in the Middle East to soar to new heights.
The U.S. military paused strikes for a day on July 30, but if airstrikes resume starting August 1 as reported by CBS and WSJ, the Iran war could escalate back into an all-out conflict reminiscent of its early stages.
In particular, if Israel strikes Iran alongside the U.S., it would mark its direct re-entry into the Iran war after a month and a half.
Israel has not participated in airstrikes against Iran since the signing of the U.S.-Iran end-of-war MOU.
Furthermore, the fact that the targets of these airstrikes are Iran's energy infrastructure—such as oil and gas facilities or power plants—is expected to be a factor that further intensifies the war.
Because energy resource exports like oil and gas are the backbone of Iran's economy and power plants are core infrastructure for state administration and daily public life, strikes against them will inevitably deal a profound blow to the regime, likely prompting even fiercer Iranian resistance.
A former U.S. military official told CBS that the value of striking energy infrastructure lies in the fact that it "can deal a blow to the Iranian military's logistics support capabilities and effective governance capacity."
President Trump previously threatened via social media that every time a vessel is attacked in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. would bomb and destroy Iranian bridges or power plants.
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
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