Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had planned fresh strikes on Iran earlier this month, including attacks on civilian infrastructure, but US President Donald Trump reportedly opposed restarting the conflict ahead of the November 3 US midterm elections, according to a Financial Times report.
The Israeli military had prepared a multi-day bombing campaign for the weekend of October 10, targeting nuclear facilities, sites linked to the Iranian regime and civilian infrastructure, including power plants. The report cited three unnamed people familiar with the matter.
The proposed operation was expected to be more intense than the US-Israeli strikes launched on February 28.
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Why Trump Reportedly Delayed Fresh Strikes On Iran
According to FT, the plan was put on hold because Trump was reluctant to initiate another phase of the war before the US midterm elections. Trump had earlier said in a post on Truth Social that he would refrain from striking Iran until November 3.
However, the pause has not ruled out further military action. Trump and Netanyahu have both threatened renewed strikes, saying the US and Israel would complete their campaign to dismantle the Iranian regime.
It remains unclear whether the US would directly participate in any new operation. One source cited by the Financial Times said it was “not an unreasonable scenario” for Washington and Jerusalem to join forces again to strike Iran in the coming weeks.
“There will either be a deal or an attack,” the source was quoted as saying, referring to efforts to secure an agreement on the Strait of Hormuz, which has been partially blocked since February.
Israel Presents Revised List Of Targets
An Israeli official said US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Israel on Monday and met senior Israeli officials, including Netanyahu. During the discussions, Israeli officials reportedly presented a revised list of targets that included sites left untouched during the February strikes, as well as civilian infrastructure.
Trump subsequently renewed his threat of further military action, warning that the US and Israel would “soon finish the job” unless Tehran changed course rapidly.
Netanyahu also shared a video on Monday showing a conversation with Trump in which the Israeli prime minister said: “Donald, you said we have a job to finish, and we will complete it together.”
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On Wednesday, Netanyahu said that overthrowing Iran's government was the only way to eliminate the threat posed by the country.
“Iran wanted to destroy us; we stopped them. They wanted to produce nuclear bombs; we stopped them... Yet they persist,” he said at an election rally. “Therefore, there is only one way to end this: by toppling this regime.”
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