US and Israel Prepare Plans for Fresh Strikes on Iran After Midterms

The U.S. and Israel have prepared military plans to strike Iran again after the American midterm elections, though President Donald Trump has yet to authorize another campaign.

The preparations envisage a brief, concentrated offensive against potential targets including nuclear installations, missile and drone stocks, and energy infrastructure.

Some American planners believe three days of attacks could inflict enough economic damage to extract concessions from Tehran, according to U.S. officials and people briefed on the discussions who spoke to The New York Times.

Both militaries have increased training, including flights over Iraq to rehearse attack maneuvers.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed the proposed operations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a visit to Israel this week, U.S. officials said.

Forces Assemble for November

Washington expects its planned deployment of three aircraft carriers, thousands of Marines, combat aircraft and Special Operations forces to be complete by early November.

Officials see political and operational reasons to wait until after the U.S. vote.

Trump pledged earlier this month to refrain from attacking before the election, while longer November nights would provide more darkness for military operations.

Approval remains uncertain. Trump has repeatedly rejected proposals to resume major combat this year, including an operation that U.S. and Israeli forces were close to launching earlier this month.

Air forces had been placed on maximum alert before that attack was postponed, according to American and Israeli defense officials.

A White House official declined on Wednesday to discuss potential operations, saying Trump retained all options to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Targets and Economic Pressure

The proposed campaign accompanies continuing negotiations over Iran’s nuclear activities and its control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Tehran has resisted nuclear concessions, seeking to postpone that discussion until later in the talks.

Although energy facilities feature among possible targets, some officials say refineries and oil infrastructure would be spared because Trump wants to contain gasoline prices.

American and Israeli planners are also examining operations against Pickaxe Mountain, the deeply buried nuclear installation known in Iran as Kooh Kolang.

Trump said last week that he was considering the 22,000-pound GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb for the site.

Weapons specialists say its aboveground detonation would be unlikely to destroy a facility buried in granite.

Military officials also warn that the MC-130 aircraft needed to deliver it would be exposed to Iranian air defenses.

The broader assumption that economic destruction would change Tehran’s position remains contested.

Earlier U.S.-Israeli attacks between February and April raised global energy costs, weakened regional security and depleted American missile interceptor supplies.

Dana Stroul, the Biden administration’s former senior Pentagon official for Middle East policy, questioned the strategic rationale for another offensive.

Neither Trump nor Netanyahu “has made a compelling case for how more war would change this strategic dilemma in an increasingly unstable and conflict-ridden region,” she said.

Tehran Threatens Broader Retaliation

Iranian officials say another campaign would bring attacks on additional targets, including data centers and undersea internet cables, alongside shipping and regional energy infrastructure.

Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Iranian negotiator Gen. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, rejected the prospect of a war ending within 72 hours.

“Our attacks will be more fierce, creative and different,” he said. “We are determined and confident, and strong planning has been put in place.”

Tehran-based political analyst Peiman Salehi said an attack on Pickaxe could prompt Iranian strikes on major Saudi refineries to drive up energy prices.

Regional escalation is already a concern. The State Department on Wednesday ordered nonemergency U.S. government staff and their families out of Saudi Arabia amid continuing Houthi attacks.

Israel’s October 27 election adds another layer of uncertainty. A Netanyahu defeat would leave him leading a caretaker administration, complicating any decision to initiate a war.

Analysts say he could instead invoke the prospect of joint strikes to seek an emergency unity government, although political rivals would be deeply suspicious.