Inside the US military playbook to cripple Iran if nuclear talks collapse

Fox News reports on U.S. military contingency planning should nuclear negotiations with Iran collapse, detailing a phased campaign beginning with strikes on Iranian missile systems, naval assets, and command networks before potentially escalating to infrastructure targets. The article sources multiple retired military analysts (Lt. Col. Seth Krummrich, Lt. Gen. David Deptula, Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, and analyst RP Newman) who discuss tactical options ranging from targeting Iran's fast-attack boats in the Strait of Hormuz to broader strikes on oil infrastructure and dual-use facilities; however, these remain analyst assessments rather than confirmed Pentagon strategy. Independent reporting from Al Jazeera, PBS, the New York Times, and Time Magazine corroborates the underlying diplomatic context—that preliminary one-page framework talks are ongoing and Trump has publicly threatened resumption of bombing—though these outlets frame the situation as moving toward potential agreement rather than emphasizing military contingencies. A critical reader should note that the article relies heavily on retired military voices rather than current Pentagon officials (the Pentagon declined immediate comment), the framing emphasizes escalation risks over diplomatic progress relative to independent sources, and the headline's focus on a "playbook to cripple Iran" is more inflammatory than the substantive discussion of phased, reversible targeting priorities in the article body.