Iranupdated 1h ago3 min read
U.S. and Israel Plan New Strikes on Iran After Midterm Elections
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US and Israel have drawn up plans for renewed strikes on Iran after midterms. Plans envision a short, intensive operation targeting nuclear and energy facilities.
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Plans After Elections
U.S. and Israeli militaries have laid out specific operational plans to launch new strikes against Iran after the U.S. midterm elections, with planning focused on a short but intense operation targeting primarily Iran’s energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and the arsenal of missiles and drones. The New York Times said President Donald Trump was considering using a 22,000-pound GBU-43/B “Mother of All Bombs,” while weapons experts warned the bomb detonates above ground and is unlikely to destroy an underground site carved from granite. U.S. officials also warned that transferring the bomb would require a slow MC-130 transport aircraft, making it vulnerable to Iranian air defenses.
Iranian officials promised to respond by expanding targets to include data centers and undersea internet cables, in addition to commercial ships and energy infrastructure in the region. The New York Times also said the United States and Israel nearly launched an attack on Iran at the start of the month, but Trump delayed it at the last moment after both militaries conducted intensive preparations and raised the alert level of their air forces.
Pressure, Jets, Restraint
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed for a resumption of strikes inside Iran, and the reporting said Israel provided to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth a list of targets to strike Iran based on intelligence.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned, saying on Wednesday: "If Iran attacks Israel, Iran will burn."
The reporting also said dozens of Israeli fighter jets flew near Iran’s airspace last Monday, with Axios citing unnamed officials and describing the sortie as intended to deter Iran.
Haaretz said Israeli military leaders feared that an attack on Iran could affect the Knesset elections at the last moment or delay them, even as the reporting said Netanyahu continued to press for a potential attack at a later time.
A White House spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal that the United States will not attack Iran before the midterm elections, while the reporting said the New York Times quoted American officials saying the U.S. and Israeli militaries had laid plans to strike Iran after the elections.
Stakes: Nuclear and Energy
Diplomatic efforts continued alongside military preparations, with American negotiators using the prospect of going to war as leverage on Iran to gain progress on its nuclear program and control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei said, "Not a single gram of enriched uranium will leave Iran," and the reporting said he made the statement during a meeting with Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir. The reporting said Iran’s position tied any negotiations to conditions, while the United States wanted Iran’s nuclear program at the center of talks from the outset.
“Not a single gram of enriched uranium will leave Iran.”
The reporting also said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated Tehran’s concern directly: "Our people believe today that if we negotiate, America will attack us again." The stakes extended to regional energy and maritime routes, with the reporting describing the June memorandum as stating "Iran must not possess or develop nuclear weapons" and noting that reopening the Hormuz Strait was central during June negotiations.