The United States has told several Gulf Arab countries to prepare for a possible short, intense military campaign against Iran after the November 3 midterm elections, the Wall Street Journal reported, though President Donald Trump has not made a decision.
The United States has told several Gulf Arab countries to prepare for a possible short, intense military campaign against Iran after the November 3 midterm elections, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people briefed on the conversations.
President Donald Trump has not made a decision but is leaning toward a large post-election attack that could target Iranian infrastructure and nuclear sites, according to the report. Trump has said he will not attack Iran before the midterms and told a rally in Lubbock on October 27: "You'll see Iran in a couple of weeks."
The report describes a military build-up already under way: a Patriot missile defence system is being moved from Texas to the region, troops have been moved off vulnerable bases, munitions are being restocked and bomber and fighter aircraft are preparing for strikes. An additional aircraft carrier strike group and a Marine expeditionary unit are poised to join roughly 20 other US warships in the Middle East next month, and Israel has prepared plans and targets.
This account rests on a single major outlet's reporting, the Journal citing people briefed on the conversations and familiar with the thinking, carried by several secondary outlets. The White House declined to comment on "sensitive military plans that may or may not exist" while saying Trump keeps all options on the table to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon. The reporting does not present the campaign as decided.
Iran has warned it would hit economic and civilian targets across the region and retains hundreds to thousands of missiles, according to the report, while mediators are trying to revive talks with little progress so far. The November 3 midterms are now the next dated marker, since any decision would fall after them.