U.S. officials have urged several Middle East allies to prepare for potential renewed military action against Iran and possible retaliation after the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections.
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U.S. officials have told several Middle East countries and regional allies to be prepared for possible renewed military action against Iran after the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections, along with the possibility that Iran will attempt to retaliate, according to two diplomats briefed on the warnings.
Both diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on the sensitive warnings delivered by U.S. diplomats and defence officials. They said President Donald Trump has not made a final decision on whether to carry out new strikes against Iran, although he has repeatedly said he is weighing ordering new military action once the Nov. 3 elections are over.
The diplomats said the U.S. has told allies the new round of military action could last for several days. They also said regional officials are bracing for retaliation by Iran and its proxy groups, with the fighting potentially continuing longer.
U.S. officials have also urged allies to take precautionary measures in anticipation that Iran’s response could include retaliatory strikes on energy facilities and other crucial infrastructure.
It remains unclear how soon after Election Day the U.S. military would be ready to resume strikes. The U.S. has not carried out a strike against Iran since early September, while the wider conflict has continued to spread.
In recent months, Iran-backed Houthi rebels have carried out attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure and airports, and a Saudi-led coalition has responded with its own deadly attacks on Houthi-held territory in Yemen.
The warnings come as the Pentagon deployed the USS Theodore Roosevelt and a series of amphibious landing ships with Marines aboard—about 9,000 troops total—from San Diego to the Persian Gulf late last month to bolster U.S. forces in the region. A U.S. official said at the time the deployment could result in an unusually high naval presence of more than 20,000 sailors and Marines and hundreds of aircraft.
Trump, who has been campaigning for Republicans ahead of the Nov. 3 elections, has been evasive about what he plans to do next with Iran. He has said publicly that the war’s end is near while also warning that a new round of bombing could come after the election passes.
During a campaign stop in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday, Trump said a conclusive end to the eight-month-old conflict could be coming “in a couple of weeks, if you don’t mind,” adding: “Somebody asked me before, when will the war in Iran end?” followed by Trump’s response, “Whenever I want it to end.”
On Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a post on X that Tehran “continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed” and is working with mediators to review ideas Tehran included in a proposal floated last month, which Trump rejected, that Iran still wants to see used as the basis to return to a ceasefire.
Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates foreign ministry issued a statement urging the sides to “exercise wisdom and pursue political solutions to help contain tensions” and prevent a return to full-scale operations in the war that began in late February.
The cost of fighting the Iran war to American taxpayers has grown to $47.1 billion, according to the latest estimate the Pentagon has provided to Congress.
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