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July 2026: "Shaping Operations" for a Ground Phase
A ceasefire began on 8 April 2026, and a memorandum meant to end the war was signed in June. By early July it had collapsed, and American bombing resumed. This time, US officials described the bombing itself as preparation for something bigger. In the military's term, these were "shaping operations": strikes that wear down an enemy's defenses before a harder mission. The harder missions named in the same reporting were landings on Iranian territory.
What the officials said
Reuters, 15 July 2026, reported by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali from Washington: three US officials said the latest strikes on Iranian air defenses, coastal radar, missile and drone sites, and small boats were also clearing the way in case the president ordered heavier operations. One official called them "shaping operations." The official said: "This is helping set the stage, if needed." Reuters then recalled its March reporting "on U.S. military planning to create options to deploy U.S. troops to Iran's shoreline to better secure the Strait," and that officials had discussed ground forces for Kharg Island (Reuters). The Times of Israel ran the same report under the headline "US strikes on Iran prepare ground for more intensive operations, officials say" (Times of Israel).
Ynetnews, the same day, gave the official's line as "It helps prepare the ground, if necessary" and reported Trump's answer about capturing Kharg: "If we wear them down hard enough and deep enough, I'll do it" (Ynetnews).
The Situation Room
The Wall Street Journal reported, and the Times of Israel carried, that Trump was leaning toward expanding the war after a Situation Room meeting on 14 July. "Options discussed include intensified airstrikes, deploying ground troops to seize Iranian [territory] near the Strait of Hormuz or bombing the Pickaxe mountain nuclear site" (Times of Israel, 15 July 2026). CNN reported the meeting focused on loosening Iran's hold on the strait, that US strikes had hit Iranian positions along the strait every day for five days including Greater Tunb island, and that destroying launchers and radars "could prepare the ground for the larger operations Trump was considering." On Fox, Trump said: "We have other people that will do the ground campaign for us" (CNN).
JINSA, a Washington think tank that argues for close US military ties with Israel, published the same day a Fox News walk-through of how Marines would seize Kharg Island (see Kharg Island).
Congress was told the war had resumed
The Times of Israel reported that Trump had told Congress the weekend before that the conflict with Iran had formally resumed. The Pentagon's casualty database began a new category, "Overseas Operations," on 7 July, the date the administration treated as a new 60-day War Powers period (see The Hidden Toll). Three American soldiers were killed by an Iranian missile at Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan on 17 July, the first American combat deaths since the April ceasefire.
What "shaping" means for a family
Shaping operations are the first phase of a ground plan. They hit the radars that would see landing craft, the missiles that would hit a landing zone, and the small boats that would attack amphibious ships. The officials were candid that this was the purpose: "set the stage, if needed." When the bombing is described as preparing the ground, the ground is the destination. See Kharg Island and the Uranium Raid for the missions being prepared.
Status: Donald Trump is alive. Phil Stewart is alive. Idrees Ali is alive.
Sources
- Reuters, 15 July 2026 — "shaping operations."
- Times of Israel, 15 July 2026 — the same report.
- Times of Israel liveblog, 15 July 2026 — the WSJ on the Situation Room.
- Ynetnews, 15 July 2026 — Trump on Kharg.
- CNN, 15 July 2026 — "other people."
Last Updated: 2026-09-26