The proposed deployment would substantially increase Washington’s capacity to conduct sustained, long-range sorties over Iran. It follows a White House Situation Room meeting on Tuesday at which Trump was presented with military options covering Iranian infrastructure, nuclear-linked installations and hardened underground facilities.
No final decision on the broader offensive has been announced. However, the movement of tanker aircraft signals that the Pentagon is positioning forces for operations that could require more aircraft, longer missions and repeated waves of strikes.
About 60 US refuelling aircraft are already stationed at Ben Gurion International Airport and Ramon Airport, supporting American combat flights and other regional missions. Israel has been asked to accommodate the additional planes, though the deployment has created logistical pressure at airports that also handle civilian and domestic military traffic.
Aerial tankers such as the KC-135 Stratotanker and KC-46 Pegasus allow fighter jets, bombers and surveillance aircraft to remain airborne longer and operate at greater distances from their bases. They would be essential for any campaign directed at targets deep inside Iran or involving several strike packages over an extended period.
The options presented to Trump reportedly include attacks on power networks, transportation links, missile infrastructure and facilities associated with Iran’s nuclear programme. One potential target is the fortified underground complex known as Pickaxe Mountain, located close to the Natanz nuclear site, about 220 kilometres south of Tehran.
Construction at the complex began after sabotage damaged a building at Natanz in 2020. Iran said the replacement facility was intended for the production and assembly of advanced centrifuges. Satellite analysis indicates that parts of the installation may lie more than 100 metres beneath the mountain, protected by reinforced tunnel entrances.
The facility is not believed to be fully operational. Its depth, however, would make it difficult to destroy using conventional air strikes. Military planners would have to consider specialised penetrating weapons, attacks on access points or operations designed to prevent the site from being used rather than eliminate its underground chambers.
Trump has publicly identified Pickaxe Mountain as a possible target and said Washington was closely monitoring activity there. The threat has added a nuclear dimension to a campaign that the White House has largely described as an effort to protect commercial navigation and weaken Iran’s ability to disrupt the Strait of Hormuz.
US Central Command has conducted successive waves of attacks against Iranian military positions since hostilities resumed in early July. The strikes have targeted coastal surveillance systems, missile facilities, weapons storage locations and logistics networks linked to attacks on commercial vessels.
More than 80 targets were hit during one round of operations on July 7. Further missions were carried out over the following days, including attacks near southern ports and transportation routes used by Iran’s armed forces.
The campaign has gradually widened from immediate maritime threats to infrastructure supporting Iran’s military presence along the southern coast. Bridges, airfields, radar systems and port installations have also come under attack as Washington seeks to restrict Tehran’s ability to monitor shipping and move equipment around the region.
Iran has responded with missiles and drones directed at US forces and countries hosting American military installations. Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan have faced threats or attacks, raising fears that a larger US offensive could draw more Gulf states directly into the confrontation.
Tehran has also threatened shipping and energy infrastructure across the region. Any prolonged disruption to the Strait of Hormuz would have consequences far beyond the battlefield because the waterway carries a significant share of global oil and liquefied natural gas exports.
The prospect of deeper strikes poses political risks for Trump, who has not publicly set out the limits, duration or final objective of the campaign. An operation focused on maritime security could evolve into an attempt to dismantle Iran’s strategic infrastructure or impose new conditions on its nuclear programme.
Some military officials have also expressed concern about the concentration of refuelling aircraft in Israel. Tankers are scarce, high-value assets required across multiple theatres, including Europe and the Indo-Pacific. Their presence at exposed regional airfields could make them targets during an Iranian missile or drone attack.
Israel remains central to the deployment because its location reduces flight distances to Iran. The arrangement also allows American aircraft to operate without relying as heavily on Gulf bases, whose governments face domestic and regional pressure to avoid direct involvement in attacks on Tehran.
