‘Mow the lawn’: US officials pitch Trump on a new plan for Iran
WASHINGTON, DC: US Central Command has developed a plan for limited strikes on Iran to stop it from rebuilding weapons capabilities threatening shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
The proposal targets Iran’s radar, air defenses and anti-ship missiles, which US officials say could help Tehran attack ships more accurately.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth supported the plan and sent it to the White House several days ago, Axios reported Monday, August 31.
CENTCOM warns Trump about Iran rebuilding military capabilities
The plan was developed over the past week by CENTCOM and supported by Hegseth, according to three US officials cited by Axios.
President Trump had not approved the proposal before the weekend’s exchange of fire with Iran.
The White House had been leaning against approving the strikes last week to avoid escalating with Tehran, the report said.
One US official described the idea as an effort to reduce the risk of Iranian attacks on oil tankers, US Navy ships and Air Force aircraft, calling it “to ‘mow the lawn,’” as per the outlet.
US officials said the military’s concern centers on Iran’s efforts to rebuild radar, air defense and anti-ship missile capabilities in the Strait.
One recent incident involved an Iranian anti-aircraft missile launched toward a US F-35 fighter jet providing cover to ships, a US official said, as per the report.
The missile did not come close enough to threaten the aircraft, but the official said it signaled that Iran was trying to reconstitute its military capacity.
CENTCOM told Hegseth, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen Dan Caine and the White House that the military might need to strike Iran periodically to keep moving dozens of oil tankers out of the Gulf relatively safely every day.
Aim is to reduce risks to ships and aircraft
Over the previous two months, the US military had gradually taken control of most of the Strait through efforts to degrade Iranian military capabilities, clear mines and guide ships through the waterway, the report stated.
Those actions limited Iran’s ability to hit oil tankers and allowed more traffic and oil exports through the strait, according to the report.
The plan comes as US officials assess Iran’s effort to rebuild capabilities that could improve its ability to target shipping in the waterway.
Weekend fighting could alter Trump’s decision
Iran’s ballistic missile attacks on US bases in Jordan on Sunday came after the US struck Iranian troops who were preparing to launch rockets with mines into the Strait.
Trump told Fox News on Monday that the United States would respond to the Iranian attacks, saying, “We’re going to hit them hard.”
He added, “There will be a response.”
The White House said, “The President retains all options at his disposal. The Iranians want to make a deal, but they are always a day late and a dollar short.”
Trump also wrote Monday that Iran was a “Failed Nation” and “IT IS DEAD!”
He accused its leaders of being responsible for what he described as “war crimes against humanity.”
The president said Iran’s leadership was in disarray and claimed its government was collapsing, while the supplied reporting said the regime had remained standing without major defections and that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was spearheading the war effort.
