President Donald Trump convened a meeting of his top national security officials in the White House Situation Room on Tuesday to review plans for a significant expansion of military strikes against Iran, according to three sources cited by the US news site Axios. The proposed operations would extend beyond the current campaign around the Strait of Hormuz to include what were described as ‘devastating strikes’ on strategic targets inside Iran, including power plants, bridges, and a deep underground facility suspected of links to Tehran’s nuclear programme.

Viewed from Washington, the escalation is designed to inflict sufficient damage to compel Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and accept US demands regarding its nuclear activities. Trump, in a Fox News interview prior to the meeting, stated that the military would hit Iran ‘hard’ over the next three days and warned that ‘next week it’s the power plants, next week it’s the bridges’ unless Iranian negotiators return to the table. US officials, speaking to Axios, indicated that the administration is prepared to sustain military pressure until these objectives are met, even as some within the government express doubts about the viability of a negotiated settlement.

Tehran has responded to the four-day-old US bombardment of air-defence, radar, and anti-ship missile sites by launching missile and drone attacks against American bases in Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has threatened ‘devastating strikes’ across the region if US or Israeli attacks resume, and Iranian officials have not ruled out enriching uranium to 90 per cent purity. The US also began enforcing a naval blockade of Iranian ports on Tuesday, with Central Command (CENTCOM) claiming that Iran had deliberately targeted seven commercial vessels in the past week, causing civilian casualties. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom on Monday designated the IRGC as a prohibited group under new counter-espionage powers, a move Tehran condemned.

Among the targets discussed was a site referred to as ‘Peakax’ or ‘Jebel al-Fa’s’—a deeply buried facility that US and Israeli intelligence assess may be intended for Iran’s nuclear programme and could be hardened against conventional air attack. Trump acknowledged that American bunker-buster bombs can penetrate to great depths but conceded that it is unknown whether the mountain is truly impervious. He added that even minimal activity detected at the site would trigger a strike. The current hostilities trace back to a joint US-Israeli military operation launched on 28 February 2026, after negotiations over a peace agreement reached an impasse. Since 8 July, the two sides have exchanged near-daily fire, with the US accusing the IRGC of attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The White House declined to comment on the Axios report. Trump said that US negotiators spoke with Iranian officials on Tuesday and delivered an ultimatum: ‘You better make a deal, or you won’t have anything left.’ The president added that strikes would continue until he personally determines that Washington’s goals have been achieved. The situation remains highly fluid, with the US naval blockade in effect and both sides signalling a willingness to escalate further. The next phase of operations, if approved, is expected to target critical infrastructure deep inside Iran, marking a sharp intensification of the conflict.