WASHINGTON, Feb 20 (Reuters) - U.S. military planning on Iran has reached an advanced stage with options including targeting individuals as part of an attack and even pursuing regime change in Tehran, if ordered by President Donald Trump, two U.S. officials told Reuters.

The military options are the latest signs that the United States is preparing for a serious conflict with ‌Iran should diplomatic efforts fail. Reuters first reported last week that the U.S. military is preparing for a sustained, weeks-long operation against Iran that could include striking Iranian security facilities as well as nuclear ‌infrastructure.

The latest revelations suggest more granular, ambitious planning ahead of a decision by Trump, who has in recent days publicly floated the idea of regime change in the Islamic Republic.

The U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the planning, did not ​offer further details on which individuals could be targeted or how the U.S. military could attempt to carry out regime change without a large ground force.

Pursuing regime change would mark another shift away from Trump's vows during the presidential campaign to abandon what he has called the failed policies of past administrations, which included military efforts to topple governments in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Trump has assembled a massive amount of firepower in the Middle East but most of the combat capabilities are aboard warships and fighter aircraft. Any major bombing campaign could also count on support from U.S.-based bombers.

In his first term, Trump showed a willingness to carry out targeted killings by approving a 2020 attack on Iran's top general, Qassem Soleimani, who led the ‌foreign espionage and paramilitary arm of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, known as ⁠the Quds Force.

The Trump administration formally labeled the IRGC a foreign terrorist organization in 2019, the first time Washington had applied the designation to another nation’s military.

One of the U.S. officials noted Israel's success targeting Iranian leaders during its 12-day war with Iran last year. At the time, regional sources told Reuters at least 20 senior commanders were killed, including the ⁠armed forces chief of staff, Major General Mohammad Bagheri.

"The 12-day war and Israeli strikes against individual targets really showed the utility of that approach," the U.S. official said, adding that the focus was on those involved in command and control of IRGC forces.

Source: Drudge Report