US and Israel Have Drawn Up Plans to Strike Iran After the Midterms, New York Times Reports

The United States and Israel have drawn up plans for renewed strikes on Iran to follow the American midterm elections on 3 November, according to a report by The New York Times that spread across markets and capitals on Thursday. The paper cited US officials and others briefed on the discussions.

Nothing has been ordered. The report, as relayed by The Times of Israel, says President Donald Trump could still decide against any new operation, and puts the chance that he authorises strikes this month as small.

What do the reported plans involve?

The two militaries are said to have stepped up drills for what the report calls a short but intensive operation, including flights over Iraq to rehearse strike manoeuvres. Possible targets include Iranian energy sites, nuclear facilities and missile and drone stocks. Officials quoted by the paper argue that another major round could badly damage Iran's economy and force diplomatic concessions.

The disclosure comes a day after we reported that Iran says Hormuz stays shut until Washington accepts its seven-day plan. Separately, Democracy Now reported that Iran's Revolutionary Guard claimed to have struck four vessels transferring oil in the northern Gulf and that three other ships hit mines in the strait; those are the Guard's own claims, which the summary did not independently confirm.

How has Iran responded?

NBC News reported that Iranian officials promised "widespread retaliation" and named Middle East data centres and undersea internet cables as potential targets. It also said the United States had reportedly begun moving some military and diplomatic personnel out of several regional countries. Trump, according to a Times of Israel live blog entry that day, accused Iran of making up fake hits to push oil prices up before the elections. An Israeli Channel 13 report in the same feed said the army chief saw no sign that action against Iran was needed before Israel's own election.