The U.S. and Israeli militaries have developed concrete plans to resume strikes against Iran after the U.S. midterm elections. The New York Times reported this on October 21, citing American officials and others briefed on the discussions, writes UNN.
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"As planning for a short but intense operation moves forward, the American and Israeli militaries have stepped up training, flying aircraft over Iraq to rehearse strike maneuvers. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel this week to discuss new strikes," American officials said.
As noted, "the targets are likely to include Iran's energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, as well as its missile and drone arsenals." Some officials say that another major round of strikes could push Iran's economy to the brink of collapse and force the country to make diplomatic concessions after nearly eight months of conflict.
"Nevertheless, there are reasons to be skeptical that a renewed war would be more successful than the first phase of intensive U.S.-Israeli strikes between February and April. Those rounds of hostilities led to rising energy prices and inflation worldwide, undermined security in the Middle East, and severely depleted the Pentagon's supply of interceptor missiles," the publication states.
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As the publication notes, "it is also far from certain that Trump will approve new strikes. This year, he has repeatedly vetoed plans to return to major combat operations, including this month, when American and Israeli forces were nearly ready to attack."
Iranian officials have promised to respond this time by expanding their targets beyond commercial shipping and energy infrastructure in the region to data centers and undersea internet cables.
They say the hostilities will be neither quick nor limited.
"While the United States is amassing a massive arsenal that will be fully ready by early November, diplomatic efforts are continuing, as American negotiators use the potential return to war as leverage on Iran to make progress on their demands regarding its nuclear program and control of the Strait of Hormuz," the publication states.
However, Iranian negotiators are so far unwilling to make concessions regarding the nuclear program, insisting that the issue be postponed until a later stage of the negotiations, the publication writes.
Some American planners are "convinced that an intense three-day campaign could inflict enough economic damage to change Iran's position."
But American officials, the publication notes, have often predicted Iran's collapse, while other Western officials have said that Iran's government has so far withstood pressure on its economy.
The elections in Israel on October 27 could, as the publication notes, complicate the plans. If Netanyahu loses, he will become a caretaker prime minister, and it will be difficult for him to launch a war, experts say.
Officials say that "there is a small chance that Trump could decide to launch the campaign this month, but there are many political reasons why he will probably wait until the U.S. elections are over, not least his own promise earlier this month not to launch strikes before the vote."
The United States will not have its full complement of military resources, including three aircraft carriers, thousands of Marines, fighter jets, and special operations forces, until early November. The U.S. military prefers to conduct attacks under the cover of darkness, and there will be more hours of darkness over Iran at the beginning of next month.
There are also concerns that the war could escalate into a larger conflict. On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department ordered government employees, who are not involved in emergency services, and their families to leave Saudi Arabia, as the Iran-backed Houthi militia continues to attack facilities there.
A White House official said on Wednesday, October 21, that the administration does not comment on military plans "that may or may not exist." Trump, the official added, is keeping all options on the table to ensure that Iran cannot obtain nuclear weapons.
"Some officials say that oil refineries and oil infrastructure will be avoided in the process, as Trump seeks to prevent fuel prices from rising even further. According to sources familiar with the matter, both U.S. and Israeli militaries are developing operational plans targeting Iran’s nuclear program. This could include an attack on Mount Pickaxe, a deeply buried nuclear facility that the Iranians call Kuh-e Kolang," the publication said.
Last week, Trump said he was considering using the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast, or MOAB, against Pickaxe. According to officials, Trump is fascinated by the weapon partly because of its nickname, the "mother of all bombs."
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But weapons experts say that the MOAB explodes above the ground, creating a massive blast, and is unlikely to destroy an underground facility such as Pickaxe, which is made of granite. The military also warns that the bomb must be delivered by a slow-flying MC-130 transport aircraft, which would be vulnerable to Iranian antiaircraft fire.
Iranian officials say they are aware of U.S. military planning and are developing their own new targets and tactics, the publication writes.