The United States and Israel are planning one of the most intense air campaigns against critical energy infrastructure in Iran, which could begin as early as this weekend.
The news was officially reported on Friday evening by the American media CBS News, citing highly placed national security sources.
According to a journalistic investigation by CBS News (cbsnews.com/news/us-israel-iran-war-energy-related-targets-trump/) potential targets include the power grid, oil refineries and gas facilities in Tehran and other key provinces. Discussions at the Pentagon on Friday afternoon included a complete blackout of electricity in the Iranian capital. The main goal of the planned attack is to undermine the ability of the Iranian military to operate and limit the regime's capacity to govern effectively.
The large-scale operation depends entirely on the final approval of US President Donald Trump, who has not yet given the final "green light". The Pentagon's chief spokesman, Sean Parnell, declined to comment to the media on specific targets. However, he stressed in an official statement that “The Department of War is fully prepared and on alert to carry out the president's directives at any time“.
Military analysts quoted in a report by the world agency Reuters (reuters.com/world/middle-east/us-israel-planning-bombard-energy-related-targets-iran-cbs-reports-2026-07-31/), indicate that the plans call for the strikes to end before the opening of global financial markets on Monday morning to avoid a global economic shock.
The escalation comes against the backdrop of the fierce conflict in the Middle East, with Iranian media already warning of “severe retaliation“. In a statement carried by Al Jazeera (aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/7/31/iran-war-live-irgc-claims-retaliatory-attack-on-kuwait), authorities in Tehran announced that they have a “comprehensive response plan“ that will target US military bases and energy facilities throughout the Persian Gulf region if their infrastructure is attacked again.