US Tells Gulf States to Brace for Iran Campaign After Nov. 3
The warnings were delivered through diplomatic and military channels and add to mounting evidence that the United States and Israel are gearing up for a fresh wave of heavy combat aimed at weakening Iran and forcing it to the negotiating table, the paper reported.
Military preparations are already under way, according to officials cited in the report. A Patriot missile defense system is being shipped from Texas to the region, troops have been pulled from bases considered exposed, munitions stocks are being replenished, and bombers and fighter jets are being readied for strikes.
Another aircraft carrier strike group and a Marine expeditionary unit are expected to reinforce the roughly 20 US warships already in the Middle East next month, the paper said.
President Donald Trump has yet to make a final call, but people familiar with his thinking said he is leaning toward a “large postelection attack” that could hit Iranian infrastructure and nuclear sites.
The White House would not discuss the matter, declining to comment on “sensitive military plans that may or may not exist.” It added: “President Trump keeps all options on the table to ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,”
Trump offered his own hint at a campaign rally in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday. “You’ll see Iran in a couple of weeks, if you don’t mind.”
He went on to claim Iran had been beaten. “We obliterated Iran’s nuclear enrichment capacity with Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Epic Fury and defeated them militarily, financially and otherwise. And it will all end very soon,” he said. “It could be over whenever I wanted it to be over,” he added.
The remarks sit awkwardly with Trump’s earlier statement that he would not attack Iran before the midterms.
The US and Israel went to war with Iran on Feb. 28. Tehran retaliated with missile and drone strikes across the region and effectively shut the Strait of Hormuz, a vital artery for global energy supplies. A memorandum of understanding signed in June was meant to clear the way for a final peace deal, but it fell apart over disputes that included navigation through the strait.
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