WASHINGTON — The United States and Israel have drawn up detailed plans to strike Iran again once the Nov. 3 midterm elections are over, according to The New York Times, which cited American officials and other people briefed on the deliberations.
The planning points to a short, hard campaign, possibly about three days. Targets under discussion include Iran’s nuclear sites, its energy infrastructure and its stock of missiles and drones, the Times reported. One possible target is Pickaxe Mountain, a deeply buried site tied to the nuclear program.
Not every target is in play. Some officials told the Times that refineries and other oil infrastructure would probably be left alone, because President Donald Trump does not want gasoline prices pushed any higher.
Both militaries have stepped up their exercises in recent weeks, flying over Iraq to practice strike maneuvers, according to the report. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was in Israel this week and discussed possible new strikes with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
American forces are still moving into place. The Times said the buildup includes three aircraft carriers, thousands of Marines, fighter jets and special operations units, and is not expected to be complete until early November.
None of this means an attack is coming. Trump has not approved the plan, and the Times noted that he has repeatedly vetoed a return to major combat this year, most recently earlier this month, when both militaries were nearly ready to strike. Earlier this month he also said the United States would not attack Iran before the midterms, pointing to what he called productive discussions with Tehran.
Asked about the planning, a White House official told the Times the administration does not comment on military plans “that may or may not exist.” The official added that Trump is keeping all options on the table to make sure Iran cannot get nuclear weapons.
Trump himself was vague on Wednesday. Asked by NewsNation whether negotiations with Iran were still going, he first said, “A little bit, but we’ll see what happens.” Asked if he was done negotiating, he said: “No, I think we’re not negotiating…we are going to have something, one way or the other. It’ll happen fairly soon.”
He also noted the election timing. “Most people think, seem to think it’s after the election, and we’re going to see what happens,” Trump said.
Some American officials believe one more round of attacks could push Iran’s economy to the brink and force concessions at the negotiating table after nearly eight months of conflict, according to the Times. The paper said Washington wants to use the threat of renewed strikes as leverage in talks over Iran’s nuclear program and control of the Strait of Hormuz, and that Iranian negotiators have so far resisted giving ground on the nuclear issue.
The United States and Israel first attacked Iran on Feb. 28. Iran answered with missile and drone attacks across the region and effectively closed the Strait of Hormuz, a central route for global energy supplies. A memorandum of understanding signed in June, after mediation by Pakistan and Qatar, has since stalled, including over navigation through the strait.
Tehran has promised a response if it is attacked again. Iranian officials have threatened strikes on Saudi refineries, data centers and undersea communications cables. Hossein Mohebbi, a spokesman for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, put it more colorfully in comments carried by the state-affiliated Student News Network:
“The United States has the ‘Mother of All Bombs.’ We will show them the ‘Father of All Bombs,’ and it will definitely be something new for them.”
Iran has not said what weapon he meant.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told parliament his country faces “a super-challenge, not a challenge,” and said Iranians had stood firm under pressure and war and would keep doing so.
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