WASHINGTON, United States: Iran’s energy strikes against power plants and refineries could begin this weekend as President Donald Trump weighs a final execution order, CBS News reported on August 1.
The CBS News report, updated at 8:36 am EDT, said Israel had received notice of the plan and was coordinating with Washington.
However, an Israeli official told CBS that Israel knew of no decision to resume full-scale operations. The official also said Washington had not asked Israel to join any military action.
Sources identified power plants and refineries as likely targets. US officials also discussed cutting electricity across Tehran, Iran’s capital in the Middle East, but had reached no decision by Friday afternoon.
The Wall Street Journal separately reported that Trump authorised the attack plan during a July 31 Cabinet meeting at Camp David, Maryland. CBS said he had not issued the final order to execute it.
Trump told the televised meeting that the United States would hit Iran heavily until Tehran could no longer withstand the pressure.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Washington would prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
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Officials discussed concluding the campaign before financial markets opened on Monday due to potential economic disruption. However, CBS said planners had set no firm deadline.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the military was ready to implement Trump’s directives but declined to discuss potential targets before a presidential decision.
Iran’s state-linked Tasnim News Agency quoted an unnamed senior security official as saying Tehran had prepared a retaliation plan targeting critical infrastructure in Israel and US-linked energy assets across the region.
