US warns Gulf of possible Iran strikes after midterms

The United States has told several Gulf Arab countries to prepare for a "short, intense military campaign" against Iran after the November 3 midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal News Corp ↘ 1.37% reported, citing people briefed on the conversations. The messages went through diplomatic and military channels. The Journal described them as one of a growing number of signs that Washington and Israel are getting ready for a new round of heavy combat aimed at weakening Tehran and pushing it toward negotiations.wsj.com

People familiar with President Donald Trump's thinking told the Journal that he has not made a final decision but is leaning toward a large post-election attack that could hit Iranian infrastructure and nuclear sites, Kurdistan 24 reported in its summary of the article. Asked by reporters at Joint Base Andrews whether he planned more strikes after the vote, Trump said, "I can't tell you that certainly, but anything's possible," according to Reuters footage. He added that waiting for the election "is not going to help them."kurdistan24.net+1

Military buildup

The Journal reported that the US military is moving a Patriot missile defense system from Texas to the region and has pulled troops off vulnerable bases. US forces are also restocking munitions and preparing bombers and fighter jets, Iran International reported. Next month, an additional carrier strike group and Marine expeditionary unit are expected to join about 20 US warships already in the Middle East. Israel has drawn up its own plans and targets, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pressed for strikes to resume. CNN separately reported that US forces could launch major operations "within 96 hours" of an order from Trump.iranintl.com+1

The White House declined to comment on "sensitive military plans that may or may not exist," saying Trump "keeps all options on the table to ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon," Iran International reported.iranintl.com

Deal or "finish it off"

On October 8, Trump said the US would not attack Iran before the midterms, citing "productive discussions," Common Dreams reported. In a Fox News interview on Sunday, he said, "Do I finish it off, which would be very easy to do, or do I make a deal? It's getting to be decision time," and named Pickaxe Mountain, a deeply buried nuclear-linked site, as a possible target, CNBC reported. The last confirmed US strikes on Iran took place on September 1.cnbc.com+1

Diplomacy has not produced a deal. During a visit to Tehran, Pakistan's army chief presented a proposal approved by Trump to end the hostilities, with Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar acting as guarantors, Iran International reported, citing Reuters.iranintl.com

Iran's readiness

Iran still has hundreds to thousands of missiles and has used the pause in fighting to rebuild its defenses. It has warned that it would answer any attack with strikes on economic and civilian targets across the region, Kurdistan 24 reported. Analysts doubt more bombing would end the conflict. "I don't think anything is going to permanently set back their program," said Seth Jones of the Center for Strategic and International Studies.kurdistan24.net