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U.S. And Israel Plan Renewed Strikes On Iran After Midterm Elections
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US and Israel plan strikes on Iran after midterms, targeting energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities. Planning envisions a short, intense operation lasting about three days.
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Plans After Midterms
The U.S. and Israeli militaries developed specific plans for renewed strikes on Iran after the U.S. midterm elections, with preparations advancing for a potential short but intensive campaign, The New York Times reported. The two militaries stepped up exercises, including flights over Iraq to practice strike maneuvers, and the report described potential targets that could include Iran’s nuclear facilities, missile and drone arsenal, and energy infrastructure. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel this week to discuss possible new strikes, according to the report.
The report said it was far from certain that Trump will approve the strikes, noting that he has repeatedly vetoed plans to return to major combat this year. A White House official told The Times that the administration does not comment on military plans “that may or may not exist,” while Trump keeps all options on the table to ensure Iran cannot acquire nuclear weapons.
Evacuations and Exercises
The U.S. ordered non-emergency government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia as Houthi attacks on the kingdom escalate, while the U.S. and Israeli militaries drew up specific plans for renewed strikes on Iran after next month’s midterm elections, according to The New York Times. State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said on X that the order applies only to Saudi Arabia, citing increasing attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on civilian targets. Reuters reported Washington also plans to withdraw family members from other missions in the region, as a strike Wednesday on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam killed at least one person and injured eight.
The U.S. and Israeli militaries stepped up military exercises, including flying planes over Iraq to practice strike maneuvers, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Netanyahu during an unannounced visit to Israel this week. Trump said earlier this month that the U.S. would not attack Iran before the midterm elections because the two sides were engaged in “productive discussions.”
Targets, Threats, and Uncertainty
The renewed military strikes would likely target Iran’s energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenal, while the report also noted that President Donald Trump has yet to approve the fresh strikes.
“We are just as prepared for diplomacy as we are for war.”
Iranian officials vowed to widen their attacks to target data centers and undersea internet cables, while refusing concessions on their nuclear program, and NPR quoted Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi saying, “We are just as prepared for diplomacy as we are for war.”
NPR also quoted Yadollah Javani warning, “The Americans must leave the region — they no longer have a place here — and they can never restore the situation to what it was before the war,” as he said Iran was prepared to destroy internet cables running under the Strait of Hormuz.
The U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran on Feb. 28, and NPR said Iran blocked the key global waterway since the start of the war while the U.S. responded by imposing a blockade on Iranian ports and its oil shipments.
Iranian state media said seven oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz were targeted by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps on Thursday, with four tankers caught fire and three others hit naval mines.