US and Israel Draw Up Plans for New Iran Strikes Right After Midterms, as Tehran Braces With "New Operational Plan"
The US and Israel have reportedly prepared plans to launch fresh military strikes on Iran after the November 3 midterm elections, even as Washington denies any attack will happen before the vote. Iran says it has its own "new operational plan" ready and is warning of a prolonged war, while US forces reposition across the region.
The United States and Israel have drawn up plans for renewed military strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections on November 3, according to a report by The New York Times, even as the White House insists no attack will take place before the vote [267904][268710]. The reported targets would likely include Iran's energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and its missile and drone arsenal [267904].
The White House said on Thursday that the United States will not resume attacks on Iran before the midterms, following reports that US and Israeli officials were preparing to restart strikes after the vote [268710]. Still, the United States is moving military reinforcements to the Middle East while withdrawing some personnel from the region — signals that point to a possible attack — at the same time that millions of Americans have already cast their ballots in early voting [269706].
Iran is not standing still. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, said the military has prepared a "new operational plan" to respond to any fresh US attacks, though he did not give details of the plan or say what triggered reports of strikes at sea [265347]. Iranian officials say their goal is to keep the regime in power and to threaten enough regional costs to make a prolonged campaign unattractive [268498].
The US ambassador to the United Nations said the war with Iran could continue for another year, adding that Washington hopes Tehran will "come to the table" sooner to end the conflict [270025].
Separately, a new report claims Iran is in the "advanced stages" of planning to target US officials in the Middle East, focusing on American figures serving in the region. No specific individuals or locations have been named, and US authorities have not publicly commented [270150].
In Britain, counter-terrorism police rearrested two men suspected of helping Iran's intelligence service plan an attack on RAF Fairford, a US-run airbase in western England. The two — a 24-year-old British national and a 25-year-old with dual UK-Iranian nationality — were detained under the National Security Act [267069].