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Iran issued a notice to airmen on Wednesday announcing planned rocket launches across its southern regions on Thursday, a move that comes as tensions between Tehran and Washington continue to escalate over stalled nuclear negotiations and growing signals from the Trump administration that military options remain on the table.
The NOTAM, published on the US Federal Aviation Administration website, indicated the launches would take place between 3:30 GMT and 13:30 GMT on Thursday. The NOTAM system provides pilots, flight crews and other airspace users with critical safety notices.
The announcement coincided with Iranian naval drills this week in the Strait of Hormuz and plans for a joint naval exercise with Russia on Thursday, further underscoring Tehran's military posturing during a period of heightened regional uncertainty.
The rocket launch notice arrived as the US has deployed warships near Iran and senior officials openly discuss alternatives to diplomacy. US Vice President JD Vance said Washington was weighing whether to continue diplomatic engagement with Tehran or pursue other options.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt sought to temper expectations, saying diplomacy remains US President Donald Trump's first option. "He is always thinking about what's in the best interest of the United States of America," Leavitt said.
At the same time, the White House said the US has "many arguments" to strike Iran, a statement that reflects the administration's dual-track approach of diplomatic pressure backed by explicit military threats.
Despite a spike in global media coverage suggesting a possible US strike on Iran, Israeli officials have offered a more measured assessment. Sources told The Jerusalem Post that an American attack on Iran is likely to eventually happen but not necessarily in the coming days.
Israel's impression, according to those sources, is that Trump has not yet decided on his final course of action, even as his disappointment with Iran's negotiating positions this week makes an eventual strike more likely. Many of the latest reports are viewed by some Israeli officials as media noise picking up on the general tone of Trump administration rhetoric rather than crossing a meaningful threshold toward military action.
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Satellite imagery has revealed that Iran is actively repairing and fortifying military sites struck during previous confrontations. Experts say Iran has recently constructed a concrete shield over a new facility at a sensitive military site and covered it in soil, advancing work at a location reportedly bombed by Israel in 2024.
Images also show that Iran has buried tunnel entrances at a nuclear site bombed by the US during Israel's 12-day war with Iran last year and fortified tunnel entrances near another facility, while repairing missile bases struck in the conflict. The fortification activities offer a glimpse into Iranian military preparations at sites central to the standoff with both Israel and the US, as Washington seeks to negotiate a deal on Tehran's nuclear program while threatening force if talks fail.
The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly one-fifth of the world's oil supply passes, has long been a focal point of US-Iran military tensions. Any disruption to navigation in the waterway could have significant consequences for global energy markets.
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