Iranupdated 1h ago2 min read
Archive photo · 18 May 2026U.S. And Israel Plan Renewed War With Iran After U.S. Midterm Ballots
“The White House rejected the prospect of an imminent attack.”
“The next round of attacks could be more devastating than the first, warn analysts.”
Photo: [null Courtesy] / US federal government, Public domain · Cropped for layout
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Post-midterm vote, US and Israel plan to relaunch attacks on Iran. Foreign ministers warn against renewed strikes; risk wider conflict and higher oil prices.
The Guardian was read line by line by the Watchdog: 3.5. See the score →
War talk after midterms
Once ballots are counted in the U.S. midterm elections, the United States and Israel will relaunch their war with Iran, and Danny Citrinowicz said, "A renewed war seems almost inevitable." Citrinowicz, who worked for Israel's military as an intelligence official for more than two decades, said there is "no silver bullet solution" to the impasse in the Persian Gulf and that Trump has only "bad and worse options." CBC described a June 2025 start to the first round of strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities that lasted 12 days and ended with a fragile ceasefire, and it said the conflict roared back to life in February after a massive U.S. military buildup in the region.
The conflict remains active even as both sides have largely avoided fresh strikes against each other's bases or territory since the summer truce collapsed, with the U.S. imposing a naval blockade of Iranian ports and Iran targeting commercial shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. Mediators with Pakistan and Qatar have spent weeks trying to push diplomatic solutions to get the two sides talking again, but "to no avail."
Iranian warnings and threats
Ebrahim Azizi, chairman of Iran's Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Commission, warned on X that a single miscalculation could render occupied lands uninhabitable in under an hour. Azizi wrote, "A single miscalculation is all it takes: the occupied lands rendered uninhabitable in under an hour," and PressTV said he posted a map highlighting major desalination plants, power plants, oil refineries, strategic bridges and choke points. PressTV said senior Iranian officials affirmed the Islamic Republic is fully prepared for an all-out, multi-layered response.
Iranian military commanders stressed that US warships dare not approach Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf, while Iran maintained it seeks neither war nor aggression but will never yield to force or bullying. Iran stands ready to defend its sovereignty as it frames the dispute as deterrence rather than limited escalation.
European bloc urges restraint
The Guardian said foreign ministers at a summit of eight European and Middle Eastern countries urged the US and Israel not to renew their attacks on Iran, warning a fresh outbreak would spread conflict and push oil prices even higher. Hakan Fidan, joint convener of the summit in Istanbul, said, "Military intervention in Iran is not any kind of solution," and he added that the countries around the table do not want the war to spread even more. Jean-Noël Barrot warned that another war between Iran and the US would be bad for both sides and only worsen rising oil prices, which have hit their highest level since May.
“Military intervention in Iran is not any kind of solution.”
Ed Miliband urged both sides to embrace diplomacy, and it quoted Wadephul saying, "We are united by the impact these deadlocked conflicts are having on the economy and security of our countries." The ministers demanded an end to the Houthi assaults on Saudi Arabia and an immediate opening of the strait of Hormuz currently blockaded by Iranian ships and drones.