US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth in Sparrows Point, Maryland, on October 6. - Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

US forces in the Middle East are prepared to launch new, potentially major, military operations against Iran “within 96 hours of receiving” an order from President Donald Trump, according to two US officials.

Sufficient forces are now deployed in the region to carry out the potential attacks, the sources said. The scope of new US military operations would likely go beyond efforts to simply “mow the lawn” o...