Iranupdated 52m ago3 min read
Israel And U.S. Prepare Joint Strikes On Iran After Midterms Amid Election Timing Dispute
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U.S. and Israel drawing up plans for renewed strikes on Iran after the midterms. Officials weigh timing with Israel's election and U.S. midterms potentially delaying attacks.
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Mondoweiss“Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu both have personal interests”
“are deliberately prolonging the war in an effort to meddle with Republican prospects”
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Post-election strike planning
Israel and the United States moved toward readiness to strike Iran again while election timing remained in dispute, with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu facing a vote on October 27 and U.S. President Donald Trump facing midterm elections on November 3.
The White House said Thursday that the U.S. would not strike Iran before the midterms, and White House spokesperson Anna Kelly stated, "The United States will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections," while ABC News reported that the Israeli Defense Forces and the United States military had drawn up plans for joint strikes in the coming weeks.
A White House official told ABC News that Trump "keeps all options on the table" to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, and the report said the decision for joint strikes to resume was "only for Trump to decide."
The New York Times was cited as first reporting the planning, and ABC News reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed the possibility of renewed strikes during an unannounced visit to Israel earlier this week.
Military preparations also included air maneuvers over Iraq, with the report in annahar saying military drills intensified and that aircraft carriers and American fighter jets were expected to be fully ready by early November.
Netanyahu, Trump, and timing
Netanyahu’s political calculations and Trump’s domestic constraints shaped the timing debate, with annahar describing how Israel tied the confrontation with Iran to Netanyahu’s security image and how the U.S. cost of war intersected with gasoline prices, purchasing power, and Republican calculations. Trump announced on October 8 that he would not strike before the elections, after previously postponing plans, and Netanyahu denied on Thursday, October 22, reports claiming Trump prevented him from attacking Iran. Mondoweiss framed the issue as a question of timing and argued that the war could be delayed until after the U.S. midterm elections, while it said Israel’s election on October 27 could leave Netanyahu with new leadership dynamics.
Netanyahu told Trump in a public phone call, "We have a job to finish," and it described the U.S. as moving a considerable number of troops and a third aircraft carrier to the Gulf. ABC News reported that Trump gave conflicting answers on negotiations, saying "A little bit, but we'll see what happens," and later responding, "I think we're not negotiating."
Maritime flare-ups and stakes
As the election calendar approached, Iran and the region saw fresh maritime tensions, with Los Angeles Times reporting that Iran said seven tankers were set on fire or damaged in the Strait of Hormuz overnight after being hit by Iran or colliding with naval mines. Danny Citrinowicz said, "Netanyahu wants to attack Iran, that is not even in doubt," and Iran’s state TV cited the Revolutionary Guard Corps naval force threatening to attack U.S. military bases if Washington continued helping guide merchant ships through the strait. Telemundo, citing the Associated Press, reported that Iran’s state television said the Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy again threatened to attack U.S. military bases, and it said the report did not mention casualties.
UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric urged diplomacy, saying, "For the sake of the region’s population and the world at large, we need that sea lane reopened and tensions reduced," while mediators were trying to bring Washington and Tehran back to formal negotiations. Time Magazine described the stakes as U.S. and Israeli plans for major strikes after the midterms, and it quoted Trump saying, "I think the war is going to end immediately after the election," while it also noted that Trump had left open the possibility of bombing Iran afterward.