Israel and the United States are carrying out what officials describe as their most extensive military preparations since last month’s ceasefire with Iran, amid growing concerns that hostilities could resume within days, according to a report by The New York Times citing two Middle Eastern officials.

The report said both countries are accelerating contingency planning for renewed strikes on Iran and are seeking to be operationally ready as early as next week if diplomacy fails to break the current deadlock.

Among the military options under discussion, U.S. officials said, is a highly complex ground operation involving commandos deployed inside Iran to retrieve nuclear material believed to be buried beneath rubble following previous strikes.

Military officials told the newspaper such a mission would carry significant risks and could result in substantial casualties. The operation would likely require thousands of support troops to secure a perimeter around the target area and could involve direct clashes with Iranian ground forces.

Officials also said another potential scenario under consideration involves seizing Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil export terminal in the Persian Gulf, as part of broader efforts to increase pressure on Tehran.

Additional options include a renewed and more intensive aerial campaign targeting Iranian military facilities and infrastructure sites, according to U.S. officials cited in the report.

Israel has previously said its military campaign against Iran, conducted alongside the United States, was aimed at weakening Iran’s military capabilities, reducing threats linked to Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and creating conditions that could encourage internal political change in Iran.

However, the ceasefire reached last month left many of those publicly declared objectives unresolved, according to the report.

U.S. President Donald Trump returned from China on Friday facing mounting pressure over how to proceed, as senior aides prepared options for a possible return to military action should he decide to intensify pressure on Tehran.

According to the report, Trump has not yet made a final decision on whether to resume strikes. Diplomats from several countries have meanwhile been attempting to broker a compromise that could persuade Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and allow the White House to present the outcome as a strategic success after weeks of costly fighting.

But Trump appeared to dismiss Iran’s latest proposal while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One after departing Beijing.

“I looked at it, and if I don’t like the first sentence I just throw it away,” he said, according to the report.

Trump also said he discussed Iran with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his trip. China remains one of Tehran’s closest strategic partners and relies heavily on energy shipments passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

The U.S. president said he did not ask Xi to pressure Iran directly, and details of the discussions between the two leaders have not been fully disclosed.

The report said Trump continues to face competing political pressures over the conflict. While the war has increasingly become a political burden domestically and the president has at times appeared eager to move past it, critics argue that Washington has not yet achieved its stated objective of ensuring Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon is reportedly preparing for the possibility that “Operation Epic Fury” — the military campaign paused after last month’s ceasefire announcement — could resume in the coming days, potentially under a different operational name.