US strategy in the ongoing 2026 Iran conflict has centered on airstrikes, naval blockades, and targeted operations against missile, drone, and maritime sites rather than ground forces. The Trump administration has repeatedly signaled preference for diplomacy, including recent intermediary talks and memoranda on Strait of Hormuz access, while maintaining that major objectives can be met through air and sea power. No large-scale troop mobilization for occupation has occurred, consistent with assessments that invading a large, topographically challenging country would require hundreds of thousands of forces. Ongoing tit-for-tat strikes through mid-August 2026 and parallel negotiations have reinforced trader consensus that full invasion remains unlikely before 2027.