US Intent to Attack Iranian Military in Strait of Hormuz if Ceasefire Fails
US military officials are reportedly preparing new plans to attack Iran’s military capabilities in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz if the ceasefire fails.
Sources familiar with the matter stated, as reported by CNN on Friday (24/4/2026), that several options are being considered, including attacks focused specifically on “dynamic targeting” of Iran’s capabilities around the Strait of Hormuz, the southern Arabian Gulf, and the Gulf of Oman.
These options outline potential strikes against small-sized fast attack boats, mine-laying ships, and other symmetric assets that have helped Tehran effectively close this major waterway and use it as a bargaining tool with the US.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz causes major ripples in the global economy, threatening President Donald Trump’s efforts to reduce US inflation and persisting despite the ceasefire implemented since 7 April, which halted US attacks.
Although the US military has targeted Iran’s navy, most initial bombings focused on targets outside the Strait of Hormuz. The new plans being developed by the US call for far more concentrated bombing operations around the Strait of Hormuz.
CNN previously reported that much of Iran’s coastal defence missiles remain intact. Tehran also has numerous small boats that can be used as platforms to launch attacks on ships, complicating US efforts to open the Strait of Hormuz.
Military strikes around the Strait of Hormuz are considered unlikely to immediately reopen this strategic waterway.
“Unless you can definitively prove that 100 percent of Iran’s military capabilities are destroyed or that the US can certainly reduce the risk with our capabilities, it will depend on how much (Trump) is willing to accept the risk and start pushing ships through the strait,” said one source familiar with the military planning.
The US military could also follow up on Trump’s previous threats to attack dual-use targets and infrastructure, including energy facilities, in an effort to force Iran to the negotiating table. Trump has stated that the US will continue combat operations if there is no diplomatic solution to the war.
Another option being developed is targeting individual Iranian military leaders and other “disruptors” in the Tehran regime who, according to recent Washington officials, have actively undermined negotiations.
Those targets, according to sources cited by CNN, include Ahmad Vahidi, who serves as the Supreme Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“The US military continues to provide options to the President, and all options remain open,” said a US Department of Defense official when asked about the attack planning.