US and Israel Draw Up Post-Midterm Iran Strike Plans, NYT Reports

WASHINGTON — The United States and Israel have drawn up detailed plans for renewed military strikes on Iran to be carried out after the American midterm elections on November 3, The New York Times reported late Wednesday, citing American officials and others briefed on the deliberations. The plans describe a short but intensive operation — potentially lasting about three days — aimed at Iran's nuclear facilities, its missile and drone arsenal, and its energy infrastructure.

The disclosure lands at a moment of extraordinary tension in the nearly eight-month-old US-Iran war. President Donald Trump has repeatedly vetoed plans for a return to major combat this year — including earlier this month, when American and Israeli officials said the two militaries were nearly ready to attack — but the report says preparations have accelerated even as a final decision remains unmade.

A Short, Intensive Operation

According to the account, the two militaries have stepped up joint exercises in recent days, including practice strike flights over Iraq to rehearse maneuvers. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel this week to discuss the possibility of renewed strikes, officials told the paper.

The likely targets, the report said, would include Iran's nuclear facilities, its missile and drone capabilities, and its energy infrastructure. Some officials said oil refineries would probably be spared to keep gasoline prices from spiking — a signal that domestic American politics will shape any operation. Several US planners are said to believe that a three-day campaign could inflict enough economic damage to shift Iran's negotiating position.

Reporting this week also described fresh signs of readiness: dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets conducted an operational sortie on Monday, flying as far as the vicinity of Iran's border — roughly 1,300 kilometers from Israel — on the same day Hegseth met Netanyahu at the Ovda Air Base. Axios, citing Israeli and American officials, said the sortie was unrelated to Hegseth's visit.

The Buildup: Three Carriers by November

The American force now being assembled is one of the largest in the region in years. It includes three aircraft carriers, thousands of Marines, fighter jets and special operations units, and it is expected to be fully in place by early November — the point at which the hours of darkness over Iran, which the US military prefers for strikes, also lengthen.

The post-election timing is not accidental. Trump promised earlier this month that he would not strike before the November 3 vote, when Americans will decide control of the House and Senate. Officials said there remains a small possibility of action this month, but the expectation inside the Pentagon is that any campaign waits until the carrier groups are complete and the polls have closed.

The timing carries a second complication: Israel is holding its own election on October 27, which could scramble the political calculus in Jerusalem just as the operation window opens.

Trump Has Not Decided

It is far from certain that Trump will approve new strikes. He has turned down several plans for a return to major combat this year, most recently when the US and Israeli militaries were said to be nearly ready to launch. A White House official told the Times that the administration does not comment on military plans "that may or may not exist," adding that all options remain on the table to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Trump himself offered little clarity at a rally in South Carolina on Wednesday night. Asked about negotiations with Tehran, he said, "No, I think we're not negotiating. We are going to have something one way or the other that'll happen fairly soon." He added that "most people seem to think it's after the election, and we're going to see what happens."

Earlier, in his rally remarks, Trump said the United States could end its war with Iran immediately but wanted a result that would last. "It'll end very soon. We could leave now, but we want to make sure it lasts for a long time," he said. He claimed the United States had defeated Iran militarily and financially, and insisted Tehran would "never have a nuclear weapon."

The Financial Times reported earlier this week that the Israel Defense Forces had prepared for several days of fighting about a week and a half ago, but Trump opposed resuming hostilities before the midterms and blocked the operation — a standoff over Iran policy that has been building for weeks as Netanyahu has pressed for a harder line.

Iran's Warning: A Wider Retaliation

Tehran has answered the buildup with threats of its own. Iranian figures have warned that any renewed attack would trigger a broader response — including strikes on Saudi oil refineries, data centers and undersea internet cables — and Iranian outlets have threatened the unveiling of what they call a "Father of All Bombs" weapon.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has also claimed fresh action in the waters around the Strait of Hormuz, saying three vessels caught fire after striking naval mines west of the strait and that Iranian forces had tracked four more vessels engaged in ship-to-ship oil transfers in the northern Persian Gulf. Those claims could not be independently verified.

The strait remains the nerve center of the crisis. The US and Israel launched their war against Iran on February 28, prompting Tehran to respond with missile and drone attacks across the region and effectively close the Strait of Hormuz, a key artery for global energy supplies. Tankers have since been hit by mines, thousands of seafarers remain caught in the confrontation, and a memorandum of understanding signed in June following Pakistani and Qatari mediation has stalled amid disagreements over navigation rights.

What Happens Next

Everything now runs through November. After the October 27 Israeli vote and the November 3 American midterms, the forces will be in place, the nights over Iran will be long, and the choice Trump has been avoiding will become unavoidable.

Diplomacy has not disappeared entirely: indirect talks with Iran are said to continue, and the White House has said all options remain on the table. But the accumulation of strike plans, rehearsals, and public warnings on both sides points toward a decisive — and dangerous — window immediately after the ballots are counted.

Whether that window produces a negotiated settlement or another round of airstrikes may depend less on the plans now sitting in Pentagon folders than on the outcome of an election 12 days away.