Are the US and Israel preparing for another major attack on Iran? Here's what report claims

The United States and Israel have drawn up detailed plans for a possible new wave of attacks against Iran following the American midterm elections, according to US officials and others familiar with the discussions, The New York Times reported. As preparations for a short but intensive military campaign advance, the two countries have increased their training exercises, with aircraft flying over Iraq to rehearse strike maneuvers. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel this week to discuss potential new attacks, according to American officials.

Potential targets could include Iran’s energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and its stockpiles of missiles and drones. Some officials believe another major offensive could inflict enough economic damage to push Iran’s already strained economy to the brink and compel Tehran to make diplomatic concessions after nearly eight months of conflict. However, there are substantial doubts about whether renewed military action would achieve better results than the first phase of intense US-Israeli strikes, which took place between February and April. Those attacks contributed to rising global energy prices and inflation, weakened security across the Middle East, and significantly depleted the Pentagon’s supply of missile interceptors.

It also remains uncertain whether President Donald Trump will authorize another round of strikes. Throughout this year, he has repeatedly rejected proposals to resume large-scale combat operations, including an attack planned earlier this month when US and Israeli forces were reportedly close to being ready. All officials interviewed for this report spoke anonymously to discuss sensitive military planning. Iranian officials have warned that any renewed attacks would trigger a broader response. They have threatened to expand their targets beyond commercial shipping and regional energy infrastructure to include data centers and underwater internet cables.

According to Iranian officials, the next phase of fighting would not be brief or confined to a limited set of targets. Meanwhile, the United States is building up a substantial military force that is expected to be fully deployed by early November. At the same time, diplomatic efforts are continuing, with American negotiators using the possibility of renewed warfare as leverage to push Iran toward meeting US demands concerning its nuclear program and control of the Strait of Hormuz.

So far, however, Iranian negotiators have resisted making concessions on the nuclear issue, arguing that the matter should be postponed until a later stage of negotiations. Some US military planners believe an intensive three-day campaign could inflict sufficient economic damage to force Tehran to reconsider its negotiating position. Other Western officials remain unconvinced. They point out that American officials have repeatedly forecast Iran’s economic collapse, yet the Iranian government has continued to withstand mounting economic pressure.

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Israeli election could complicate military plans

Israel’s October 27 election could introduce another complication into the proposed military operation. If Netanyahu loses, he would remain in office as a caretaker prime minister, potentially making it more difficult for him to initiate a new war, according to experts. However, some analysts believe Netanyahu could use the prospect of an imminent joint US-Israeli attack to pressure political rivals into forming a unity government, allowing him to retain power while overseeing the conflict.

A similar arrangement followed Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, when Netanyahu established a unity government that brought opposition figures into a war cabinet to participate in national security decisions. Officials say there remains a small possibility that Trump could authorize military action before the end of this month. Nevertheless, several political considerations point toward a decision after the US midterm elections. One significant factor is Trump’s promise earlier this month that he would not launch an attack before voters went to the polls.

The US military is also waiting for its full complement of assets to arrive. The deployment is expected to include three aircraft carriers, thousands of Marines, fighter jets and Special Operations forces, with the force buildup scheduled to be completed by early November. The military generally prefers to conduct attacks under the cover of darkness, and nighttime hours across Iran will increase as November approaches.

Fears of a wider regional conflict

The prospect of another military campaign has also raised concerns that the conflict could spread further across the region. On Wednesday, the US State Department ordered nonemergency government personnel and their families to leave Saudi Arabia as the Iran-backed Houthi militia continued attacking targets there. A White House official said Wednesday that the administration does not comment on military plans ‘that may or may not exist’. The official added that Trump was keeping all options available to ensure Iran could not obtain nuclear weapons.

Some officials have indicated that potential targeting plans may exclude oil refineries and other oil infrastructure because Trump wants to avoid driving gasoline prices even higher. At the same time, the US and Israeli militaries are preparing plans for operations against Iran’s nuclear program, according to people familiar with the discussions. One possible target is Pickaxe Mountain, a deeply buried nuclear facility known in Iran as Kooh Kolang.

Last week, Trump said he was considering deploying a 22,000-pound GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast bomb, commonly known as the MOAB, against the site. Officials say Trump is particularly interested in the weapon, partly because of its nickname, Mother of All Bombs.

Iran warns of an intense response

Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Iran’s negotiator, Gen. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, wrote on social media this week that the prospect of the United States completing another round of attacks within 72 hours was a ‘fantasy’. He argued that Iran, rather than Washington, would determine when the war would end. Mohammadi also pointed to Trump’s statement in February that the conflict would last two weeks. “Our attacks will be more fierce, creative and different,” Mr. Mohammadi said. “We are determined and confident and strong planning has been put in place.”