US military prepares for renewed war with Iran before midterms, reports say

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday night that he does not particularly want another agreement with Iran, even as he claimed Tehran was prepared to make sweeping concessions to Washington. "I think the deal isn't really something that I want to do, but they're willing to offer us anything to stop," Trump said at a campaign rally with Republican candidates in San Antonio, Texas, despite negotiations having been stalled for weeks. Meanwhile, NBC News reported that Trump and his national security team have recently discussed the possibility of resuming large-scale U.S. military operations against Iran within the coming weeks, potentially even before the November 3 midterm elections. The U.S. military is preparing options for such an operation, according to an American official and another person familiar with the internal discussions. No final decision has been made. At the Texas rally, Trump also praised Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, saying he was working on an agreement with Iran and "doing very well." Axios also reported on the possibility of renewed fighting, saying a new military campaign could involve "massive bombing" of Iranian energy facilities, infrastructure and nuclear targets. The Atlantic separately reported that U.S. military action could take place within weeks. Citing two administration officials, the magazine said the Pentagon had been asked to prepare options for possible strikes before the midterm elections in early November. According to the officials, the planning is linked to Trump's desire to demonstrate progress in the conflict before Americans head to the polls. The reports come as Trump's approval ratings remain at record lows, with growing concern over the cost of living, driven in part by sharp increases in gasoline and diesel prices. According to The Atlantic, some administration officials believe that even limited strikes, while unlikely to produce significant changes on the ground or bring down fuel prices, could allow Trump to portray himself as having secured a victory in the conflict ahead of the elections. The same officials said a more substantial military operation could follow after the vote. Earlier this week, Trump said Washington's biggest problem in negotiations to end the conflict was uncertainty over who was actually running Iran. "Their leaders are gone, their second group of leaders are gone, and the biggest problem I have is nobody knows who the hell is running the country," Trump said Tuesday. Iranian officials rejected the claim, insisting that Washington knows who its counterparts are and how decisions are made in Tehran. "The problem is actually the opposite: it lies in the contradictory positions and mixed messaging from US officials," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said.