The US is striking targets in Iran in an effort to give President Donald Trump more military options to escalate the conflict. 

Three US officials explained to Reuters that the current strikes against Iran are “shaping operations” meant to provide Trump with further options to escalate the conflict. The article did not discuss which options the Pentagon hopes to offer the President. 

The White House has floated several potential escalations, including an invasion, a limited operation to seize Iran’s enriched uranium, and widespread attacks against civilian infrastructure. 

The ceasefire between the US and Iran broke down last week after Washington violated the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by opening a new shipping lane through the Strait of Hormuz. The MOU granted Iran control over shipping through the waterway.

Iran responded to the violation by attacking vessels attempting to use the new shipping lane. The US retaliated by bombing Iran, and Tehran resumed strikes on US military bases in the region. 

Both Washington and  Tehran have said that the MOU ceasefire has collapsed. However, on Wednesday, Iran released an American prisoner, which Trump acknowledged as a “gesture of goodwill.”

On Thursday, Iran’s top negotiator, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, said that the US strikes were aimed at advancing Washington’s interest. The US “seeks to hit Iran and advance its interests whenever it can,” he wrote on X. This leaves Tehran “no choice but to rely on our own strength and become stronger.”

Tehran is also preparing to escalate the conflict. According to Reuters, Iran and its allies in Yemen are preparing to close the Red Sea.