The recent waves of US attacks on Iran, aimed at opening the Strait of Hormuz, are also aimed at destroying Iranian military capabilities that the United States would like to eliminate before potentially launching more complex operations against Iran, three US officials said.
The officials, who were authorized to speak anonymously on military matters, said the strikes were in effect strengthening additional military options for President Donald Trump, who left the world in limbo over his next moves after he notified Congress last weekend of the official continuation of the conflict with Iran, Reuters reports.
The war in Iran is now entering its fifth month and continues to rage after the collapse of a memorandum of understanding that was supposed to stop the fighting and pave the way for a peace agreement.
Despite the heavy blows that the Iranian military has suffered since the beginning of the US-Israeli campaign on February 28, Tehran still has significant capabilities for the use of drones and missiles, and attacks passing tankers, as well as neighboring countries in the Persian Gulf.
The US military said the latest bombings targeted Iranian air defense systems, coastal radars, missile and drone sites, as well as small ships and other naval assets.
One US official said the strikes could be seen as "shaping operations" designed to weaken Iran's defensive capabilities in case the US military is ordered to conduct more intensive operations in the future.
"This helps prepare the ground, if necessary," the official said.
The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Military options
Reuters reported in March about US military plans to create options to deploy US troops along the Iranian coast to better secure the Strait of Hormuz.
At the time, officials said the Trump administration was also considering sending ground forces to Iran's Kharg Island, a hub through which about 90 percent of Iran's oil exports pass.
Such an operation would be risky, as Iran could bombard the island with missiles and drones from the mainland.
Trump said Tuesday that he had ordered the military to avoid targeting Iranian oil facilities during previous attacks on the island of Kharkiv. However, he left open the possibility of seizing the island.
"If we weaken them enough and push them far enough, I would do it," he told Fox News.
Trump also threatened to attack a site linked to Iran's nuclear program, known as Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified facility deep underground near one of Iran's main nuclear complexes.
Mark Kansian, a retired US Marine officer at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), said Trump's willingness to publicly talk about military options, such as taking Harg Island, is a double-edged sword.
That could help diplomacy by putting pressure on Iran, but it's "bad for the military, because we're finding out where we could go," he said.
Tactical victories, strategic stalemate
Critics of Trump's war with Iran, including some members of the US Congress, argue that while the campaign has achieved tactical victories by destroying large parts of Iran's conventional military and defense industrial base, it has failed strategically to force Tehran to make concessions.
The conflict has also allowed Iran to exert unprecedented influence over the Strait of Hormuz, a key point through which a fifth of the world's crude oil production passes.
Even if its conventional navy is largely destroyed, Iran can still attack commercial ships using means such as drones and missiles.
This, according to US officials, has led to a debate within the Trump administration about the best way to proceed.
A fourth official said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is a proponent of expanding the military operation against Iran.
Imran Bayoumi, a former Pentagon official and now a member of the Atlantic Council, said Trump's broad statements about Iran in recent days are likely aimed at putting pressure on Tehran during negotiations and maintaining uncertainty about the US military's next moves.
"I would separate the noise from the actual moves," Bayoumi said. "I expect the conversations between him and his national security team to look quite different from what he's posting online."
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