Netanyahu, Trump discussed possibility of renewing strikes against Iran before elections - report

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to US President Donald Trump last week to discuss the possibility of a renewed military campaign against Iran before Knesset elections are held at the end of October, according to an Axios report on Tuesday.The potential joint US-Israel operation could target Iran's nuclear and military sites, sources reportedly said.Senior US officials told Axios that Netanyahu cited alleged Iranian efforts to rebuild nuclear capacity as the reason for launching new strikes.If military operations against Iran do reignite, it could have an impact on both the Israeli election and US midterm elections in early November.Despite Trump's earlier public statements that he has not yet decided how to proceed with Tehran, sources said both the IDF and US Central Command (CENTCOM) are on alert and are finalizing preparations in case he decides to order strikes.One US official told Axios that Trump told Netanyahu to “go ahead and get ready,” but noted there was no firm commitment to restart military operations.A White House official denied that the two leaders had talked about resuming the war and asserted that Trump has said that the US will not attack Iran before midterm elections.The Prime Minister's Office confirmed that Netanyahu maintains regular contact with Trump but did not comment to Axios on the content of their talks.Support for renewed strikes mixed, officials sayOne Israeli official said Trump initially seemed willing to join renewed strikes before growing hesitant, and another US official said Trump was still on the fence.Additional sources familiar with the discussions told Axios that US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CENTCOM leadership are among the strongest backers of plans to resume the war.Much of the Trump administration, however, reportedly favors maintaining economic and political pressure on Tehran over military action."They claim this economic choking is working better and better. Let's keep it up," a US official told Axios.Trump says decision on Iran coming 'very soon'Speaking to reporters outside the White House on Tuesday, Trump said the US would decide on its next move regarding Iran “very soon.”"Iran is a failed country," Trump said. "They have no economy, they have 300% inflation, they have no money, they're not paying their troops, they're not paying anybody."