Dirty war ahead? Trump has options of renewed strikes on Iran or letting it rot, but officials are divided after US midterms rout

The US military is finishing preparations for a possible resumption of major combat operations in Iran, including sending more military assets to the region, Axios and other US media outlets reported. With the midterm election results of November 1 turning Donald Trump into a lame-duck president, Congressional authorisation for further funding for the Iran war is uncertain when the new session begins in January. This leaves Trump with only a small window to strike Iran one last time before he faces legislative battles or ends up resorting to executive orders to have his way.

The war and the subsequent disruption of oil traffic through the Strait of Hormuz have led to higher fuel prices and an increased cost of living in the US, which became a key election issue. Trump also conceded that the war had hurt the Republican Party in the elections, but said he would do it again if needed to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon: “We had no choice. You can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” he said.

US military preparations

According to a Wall Street Journal report, the US military has been making preparations for a potential strike for weeks. Thousands of pounds of munitions have been amassed. Additional air defence assets and warships are being mobilised in the region. A third aircraft carrier strike group and an additional Marine Expeditionary Unit are moving towards the Middle East. This adds up to 10,000 more troops being deployed to the region.

Trump has three main options, and all are messy

As per Axios, Trump might have to choose one of three main options, all of which are unpopular or messy. Resuming strikes on Iran could keep fuel prices high, with no guarantee of military gains. Negotiating a deal is risky, as Iran has sensed political weakness in Trump following the elections and refuse to make concessions or raise its demands.

Maintaining the status quo through the US naval blockade and continuing the maximum economic pressure campaign through sanctions is another option. This amounts to letting Iran rot. But these measures in the past have not made Iran flinch.

Trump officials are divided: Some want Hegseth out; Vance openly blames the war for poll loss

The midterms drubbing has divided US administration officials over the next course of action on Iran, with some wanting the ouster of Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary and the public face of the American war effort.

A Wall Street Journal report said some US officials are pushing Trump to launch fresh military strikes on Iran and then push for peace. This would allow him to extricate himself from the war during the lame-duck period. Another group wants Trump to cut his losses and wind down the war.

Vice President JD Vance openly linked the Republican Party's electoral rout to the war, identifying it as a key reason behind the blue wave that saw Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives and the Senate. “The reason we lost is the war,” Vance wrote on X.

He argued that the conflict had cost Republicans the Senate for the next six years. Terming US relations with Israel as a political liability, Vance had privately accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “being wrong on everything” regarding Iran, the Axios report said. Most senior officials reportedly shared Vance's position, the report said.