The president is desperate to escape the quagmire that has marred his second term.
Donald Trump is considering launching a new wave of strikes against Iran after the midterms in a desperate attempt to end the conflict, according to a report.
The U.S. and Israeli militaries are developing plans to significantly intensify fighting in the Middle East in November, targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities and weapons arsenal, sources told The New York Times.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss launching the strikes, with both armies conducting exercises – including flying over Iraq to practice maneuvers – in preparation for the bombing.
U.S. officials say renewed attacks on Iran will cripple its economy and put pressure on Tehran to end the war, which has lasted nearly eight months with no end in sight.
Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth’s hopes of resolving the Iranian conflict are at an impasse.
Eric Lee/Eric Lee/Reuters
Some planners also believe that a new three-day campaign of intensive airstrikes will be enough to permanently break Iranian resistance.
However, experts doubt that new strikes will be more effective than when the war broke out on February 28.
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Dana Stroul, who served as the Pentagon’s top Middle East policy official under Joe Biden, said the Trump administration had repeatedly claimed that Tehran was on the verge of collapse and that the conflict would end soon.
“At this point in the war, what is clear is that the conventional military campaign waged thus far, along with current economic sanctions and the U.S. naval blockade, have not brought the regime back to the negotiating table in any meaningful way,” Stroul told the Times.
She added that neither Trump nor Netanyahu “have presented a compelling case for how more war could change this strategic dilemma in an increasingly unstable and conflict-ridden region.”
There is also no guarantee that Trump will follow through on his plan to restart attacks on Iran after the midterms.
The United States was poised to launch attacks on Iran earlier this month, but Trump postponed the strikes at the 11th hour.
In an October 8 Truth Social article, Trump vowed that “we will not attack Iran at any time before the midterm elections.”
The erratic and unpredictable 80-year-old president is causing headaches at the Pentagon, with one commander telling the Times that Trump’s constantly changing stance on launching attacks is causing “daily whiplash” among military planners.
The war in Iran helped Trump post disastrous poll numbers during his second term.
Cathal McNaughton/Reuters
The war in Iran and the resulting closure of the Strait of Hormuz caused gas and oil prices to skyrocket and led to the deaths of 19 U.S. service members.
An intense voter backlash against Trump’s war and the economic disruption it has caused could also doom the Republican Party in the Nov. 3 election.
The upcoming general elections in Israel could influence the launch of a new strike against Iran. If Netanyahu loses the October 27 election, he will become caretaker prime minister and could have a harder time convincing the country to support his war plans.
“If Iran attacks, that’s one thing, but launching an offensive strike would be extremely difficult for it,” Mazal Mualem, an Israeli political commentator who wrote a biography of Netanyahu, told the Times.
A White House official said the administration does not comment on military plans “that may or may not exist.”
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and Department of Defense for comment.
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