US Officials Prepare for Possible Strike on Iran in Coming Days

Senior US officials are preparing for the possibility of a strike on Iran in coming days, according to people familiar with the matter, as Israel and the Islamic Republic continue to exchange fire.

Some of them pointed to potential plans for a weekend strike. Top leaders at a handful of federal agencies have begun getting ready for an attack, one person said.

A missile from Iran on Thursday struck an Israeli hospital for the first time since the war started almost a week ago, a reminder of the risks to civilians in both countries. Israel’s Health Ministry said there were only a number of light injuries in the incident at Soroka Medical Center in the south of the country, as the missile landed in a department that had been evacuated just hours earlier.



US President Donald Trump has for days publicly mused about joining Israel’s strikes on Iran, a move that would escalate the conflict in the oil-rich Middle East. The situation is evolving and could change, said the people, who requested anonymity to discuss private talks.

Israel said it would escalate attacks on Iranian strategic and government targets “to remove threats to the State of Israel and undermine the Iranian regime,” Defense Minister Israel Katz said.
“Khamenei will be held accountable,” he added, directly naming Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The comments indicate a widening of Israel’s war objective beyond the destruction of Iran’s nuclear program, and the country’s campaign showed no signs of letting up. Jets struck dozens of military targets in Iran overnight, including an inactive nuclear reactor in the area of Arak.

Arak has long been the focus of international scrutiny due to its potential role in plutonium production, which could potentially beused in future nuclear-weapon production if reprocessing capabilities were developed. The Arak-Khondab region area, situated in central Iran, is itself strategically significant as it is home to some of the country’s most critical atomic infrastructure.

European stocks and US futures edged lower on geopolitical uncertainty and concerns about the inflationary impact of higher crude prices. Brent rose 1.2%, trading above $77 per barrel. Cash trading in US stocks and Treasuries is closed for the Juneteenth holiday.Efforts to contain the escalation of the conflict continue, while the US weighs its options. Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said on X the war between Iran and Israel marks “a pivotal moment with far-reaching consequences for both nations and the region.” He called for an end to hostilities and return to dialog.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a social media post Wednesday that his country remained “committed to diplomacy” and has never sought and would never seek nuclear weapons.