The Pentagon directed U.S. Central Command to finish preparations for a possible return to large-scale combat operations against Iran, according to an Axios report by journalist Barak Ravid. The directive sets no date for an offensive, and President Donald Trump hasn’t made a final decision on whether to resume the fighting, Ravid reported for Israeli broadcaster N12.
Preparations, Not a Launch Order
The reported directive asks Central Command to prepare for a possible resumption of large-scale combat. It doesn’t set a start date. Ravid cited senior American officials, who said the Pentagon gave the command those instructions a few days earlier.
Preparation and a decision to launch are separate matters. The report says no date has been set for an offensive, and Trump hasn’t made a final decision about resuming the fighting. So it describes military preparations while leaving both the timing and the decision unresolved.
Election Timing and Possible Targets
American and Israeli sources said military action could take place before the U.S. midterm elections, perhaps even before the Israeli elections, which will be held a week earlier. Those sources described a possibility, not a confirmed timetable. The report doesn’t say either election date has been chosen as a deadline for military action.
If extensive combat operations resume, they’re expected to include massive bombings of energy, infrastructure and nuclear targets in Iran, Ravid reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. The account names those categories of targets but gives no further detail about specific sites, operational plans or the scale of any eventual action beyond calling the expected bombings massive.
The report ties those possible targets to a scenario in which large-scale combat resumes. It doesn’t say such operations have begun, that officials have issued a final order, or that the United States has committed to carrying out strikes. Preparations and reported expectations remain separate from a decision to act.
The report was updated on October 8, 2026, at 02:30. Its central facts are that Central Command received instructions to finish preparations, no date was set for a possible offensive, and Trump hadn’t made a final decision. American and Israeli sources raised the possibility of action before the U.S. midterms or the Israeli elections, while sources familiar with the matter described energy, infrastructure and nuclear targets as expected if large-scale operations resume.