Iran Strike Plans After US Midterms

The United States and Israel have drawn up plans for renewed military strikes on Iran that would most likely come after the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections, according to reporting by The New York Times, ABC News and NPR published Oct. 21 and 22, 2026. The White House said Thursday that no U.S. attack on Iran will take place before the vote, and President Donald Trump has not publicly approved any operation.

What the Iran strike plans reportedly include

The New York Times, citing U.S. officials and others briefed on the deliberations, reported that the two militaries are planning a “short but intensive operation.” Likely targets named in that report are Iran’s energy infrastructure, its nuclear facilities and its missile and drone arsenal. The paper said both militaries have stepped up exercises, including flights over Iraq to practice strike maneuvers.

ABC News, citing two Israeli sources, reported that targets would include petrochemical facilities tied to Iran’s oil industry and nuclear sites such as those at Pickaxe Mountain. One source told ABC there are no plans to hit civilian infrastructure such as power plants. “Hunting season is open as soon as the elections end,” one Israeli source told the network. The same source said regime change, not a negotiated deal, is the Israeli government’s top goal, and that the decision to resume joint strikes is “only for Trump to decide.”

White House, Pentagon and Netanyahu responses

“The United States will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement to ABC News. A White House official told ABC the administration does not comment on “sensitive military plans that may or may not exist” and that Trump “keeps all options on the table” to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. The Pentagon declined to comment.

Speaking to reporters at the White House before leaving for a campaign rally in Iowa, Trump said, “we’ve knocked the hell out of them, and we may do it a little bit further,” according to Anadolu Agency. “There’s a price to pay, which I knew immediately when I did it. But we can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon,” he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday called reports about such discussions “incorrect,” The Times of Israel reported.

Timing: Israel’s Oct. 27 election and the U.S. midterms

A person briefed on the planning told NPR that Israel had initially planned to strike Iran in mid-October, about two weeks before Israel’s Oct. 27 Knesset election, but that Trump objected. The same person said U.S. forces are being massed so they are ready by early November, and that the buildup could also be part of a pressure campaign to push Iran toward a diplomatic deal.

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said in a private meeting that he does not see an operational need to strike before the Knesset vote, Israel’s Channel 13 reported, as cited by The Times of Israel. “If we determine that a strike on Iran is necessary, we will carry it out,” Zamir was quoted as saying. Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s main challenger, told Channel 13: “There is no direct, immediate threat from Iran that necessitates a war prior to the election.” Critics have accused Netanyahu of pushing to renew the war to influence or delay the vote, a charge he has denied.

Iran’s warnings of retaliation

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told Iranian state media, “We are just as prepared for diplomacy as we are for war,” adding that “any scenario is conceivable, including the possibility of an attack by the U.S. and Israel,” as quoted by NPR. Unverified claim, Iranian state media (Iranian state media) Iranian state media also quoted an unnamed security source saying Iran would target U.S. interests in the region if Iranian officials or civilian infrastructure were attacked. Unverified claim, Iranian state media (Iranian state media)

The reported planning comes as fighting around the Gulf intensifies. Our earlier coverage tracked Iran’s claim that seven ships were hit near the Strait of Hormuz and Israeli jets flying to Iran’s border before the Knesset election.

Oil markets and the regional picture

Brent crude rose about 3% on Thursday to $112 a barrel, its first time at that level since May 18, The Guardian reported, after Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia and the reported strikes on tankers. ABC’s Israeli sources said Trump’s reluctance to further unsettle oil markets in the final days of the campaign is a main reason the strikes would wait until after Nov. 3. For background on the wider buildup, see our report on the third U.S. carrier and Gulf embassy departures.

Additional details

ABC News said the plans were discussed during Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s unannounced visit to Israel earlier this week, where new intelligence was shared, according to one Israeli source.
One Israeli source told ABC that Israel could strike unilaterally if the U.S. chose not to take part, but would still need U.S. consent.
NPR reported that Pentagon officials said the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is moving to the region and is expected to arrive later next month.
NPR noted that the Financial Times and The New York Times first reported the planning, and that Netanyahu trails his main challenger in polls.
Iran has also threatened data centers and undersea internet cables in the Gulf, NPR reported.
The war began with widespread U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Feb. 28, according to the Associated Press.

Sources

Featured image: USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) underway in the Atlantic Ocean, Sept. 18, 2014. U.S. Navy photo, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

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US and Israel Plan Renewed Iran Strikes After Midterms, Reports Say