US CENTCOM Ordered to Prepare for Possible Renewed Large-Scale Military Action Against Iran

The signal here is preparation, not decision: ordering CENTCOM to complete plans shortens the runway between a political choice and military action, and the cited windows are electoral calendars rather than military logic. That coupling matters for energy and shipping markets, where Iranian crude, Strait of Hormuz transit and regional risk premia are the transmission channels. The open question is whether the absence of a strike date reflects genuine deliberation or deliberate ambiguity — and whether the midterm and Israeli election timing continues to shape the decision.