Trump prepares a new round of strikes on Iran, possibly from November 4, and has warned Gulf states, MS NOW reports

The Trump administration has asked its Persian Gulf allies to be ready for a short but intense round of US strikes on Iran that could begin as early as Wednesday, November 4, one day after the US midterm elections. The date was reported by MS NOW on Friday, October 30, citing three senior Gulf Arab officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The Wall Street Journal had first reported the briefings to Gulf countries. The reports have not been officially confirmed.

The White House neither confirmed nor denied the scenario. “We do not comment on sensitive military plans that may or may not exist. President Trump is keeping all options open so that Iran can never obtain a nuclear weapon,” an unnamed official said.

Worry in the Gulf capitals

Washington’s allies in the region are pressing hard for de-escalation, fearing retaliation from Tehran. A Gulf official said he “would not be surprised” if some states objected to the use of American bases on their territory for the strikes.

The US has not struck Iran since September 1. The war it launched together with Israel in February, with the air campaign the Pentagon named “Epic Fury”, cost the life of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Trump has pledged not to launch new attacks before the vote, while Iran still threatens shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and the US Navy maintains its blockade of Iranian ports. Plans for new strikes after the elections were first revealed by the New York Times.

“It will end very soon”

Trump himself has not hidden his intentions in recent days. Speaking on Friday to Kansas City radio station KCMO, he said the war with Iran “will end very soon” and that “we will have a non-nuclear Iran”. In a Fox News interview on Sunday he said a possible US target could be “Pickaxe Mountain”, a deeply buried facility tied to Iran’s nuclear programme: “We can read the badge on someone’s shirt from space. We know exactly what’s going on at Pickaxe Mountain.” At a campaign stop in Florida last week he warned that if Tehran makes no concessions on its nuclear programme the US will have to strike again: “Maybe we’ll do another little Epic Fury.”

A former administration official familiar with the foreign-policy discussions says Trump is obsessed with Iran not acquiring a nuclear weapon and is convinced that with a “final blow” the US will either strike a deal with the Iranians or finally destroy their nuclear programme. The Republican base complicates matters, as it is increasingly split over Iran. “It’s a tough situation because of the base,” another former official admits. A recent Pew Research Center poll shows 65% of Americans disapprove of how Trump is handling military action in Iran, with Republicans also growing more negative.

A last diplomatic try

Alongside the military preparations, Washington is making a last-ditch diplomatic move. Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, former Revolutionary Guards commander and, since August, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, proposing a meeting of Iranian and American officials. The Wall Street Journal writes that the aim was to see whether the two sides could find enough common ground for Trump not to give the final order for the strike. Trump said he gave Vance the green light but described the letter as help for Iran “with medical supplies and various other things”, as we reported in our report on the Vance letter.

Qatari mediators were back in Tehran on Friday. Doha has proposed a seven-day plan with confidence-building measures to answer the concerns of Washington and Tehran. Envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are involved in the talks.

A third carrier and Patriots for the Gulf

On the ground the US is reinforcing. A third carrier strike group, led by USS Theodore Roosevelt, is sailing toward the Middle East with other ships and about 9,000 sailors and Marines, due to arrive in late November. Additional Patriot batteries have already been moved to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

Washington is also taking steps to protect its personnel. Most American government employees in Saudi Arabia were ordered to leave, and staffing at missions in Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Jordan was reduced. The State Department had warned that Iran has significantly stepped up attempted attacks against American personnel in the Middle East, also citing the risk of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia and a spread of the conflict in the region.

Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, who attended a classified briefing on the war plans, said they may include strikes on civilian infrastructure. “Their plan is insane,” he told a Washington think-tank event. “In my view it will lead to a prolongation and escalation of this war, with disastrous consequences for our security interests.” See also our Iran war timeline.