The United States and Israel have drawn up plans for a new series of strikes on Iran that could begin after the US midterm congressional elections on November 3, the website infohub.kz reports, citing a New York Times article translated by RBC.
The operation would be short but intense. As part of the preparations, the military has stepped up exercises, and US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth discussed possible attacks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to the newspaper, likely targets could include Iran's nuclear facilities, energy infrastructure, and missile and drone arsenals. Several of the paper's sources say the new wave of strikes could inflict critical damage on the Iranian economy and force Tehran to make concessions.
However, the NYT sources doubt that renewed hostilities would prove more successful than the previous campaign of US-Israeli strikes from February to April, which drove up energy prices and depleted US stocks of interceptor missiles.
It remains unclear whether US President Donald Trump will approve the operation. The political situation in Israel could also affect the plans: the country's elections are scheduled for October 27. Some experts interviewed by the newspaper believe Netanyahu could use the threat of war to form a national unity government, while others point to the opposition's mistrust of the prime minister.
Washington is also concerned about the conflict spreading across the region. On Wednesday, the State Department ordered the departure from Saudi Arabia of US government employees whose presence is not critical and of their family members, amid attacks by Iran-backed Houthis. The full complement of US forces, including three aircraft carriers, fighter jets and special forces units, is due to be deployed by early November.
According to sources, the targets under discussion include the underground nuclear facility Pickaxe. Trump has also mentioned the possibility of using the GBU-43/B massive ordnance air blast bomb, known as the "mother of all bombs," against it, but experts doubt it could destroy the complex, which lies deep underground.
Iran, for its part, is preparing for a possible new round of conflict and threatens to expand its list of targets. Beyond ships and energy infrastructure, data processing centers and undersea internet cables could also be hit. Mahdi Mohammadi, an adviser to the Iranian negotiator, called the US calculation that the new campaign could be completed in 72 hours a "fantasy" and said retaliatory strikes would be fiercer and more unexpected.