WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. officials have asked several Middle Eastern countries and regional allies to prepare for possible new military action against Iran after next week’s midterm elections in the United States – as well as the possibility that Iran will try to retaliate against them, according to two diplomats briefed on the matter.
The two diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment on sensitive warnings relayed by U.S. diplomats and defense officials.
President Donald Trump has not made a final decision on whether to carry out further strikes against Iran, diplomats stressed. The president, however, repeated several times that he weigh the order for further military action once the crucial November 3 elections in the United States have passed.
These threats and new U.S. calls for allies to prepare for possible retaliation put the region on alert that a return to major operations could now be on the horizon.
AP AUDIO: US warns allies to prepare for possible strikes on Iran, retaliation after election, AP sources say
The United States is warning its Middle Eastern allies that attacks on Iran could soon resume. Reports AP correspondent Jennifer King.
The White House and U.S. officials declined to comment.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in an article on proposal launched last month — in summary rejected by Trump – which the Iranians still want to see used as a basis for returning to a ceasefire.
At the same time, the UAE Foreign Ministry issued a statement urging the parties to “exercise wisdom and seek political solutions to help contain tensions” and prevent a return to large-scale operations in the war that began in late February.
The United States has told regional allies that the new round of military actions could last several days, but regional officials are bracing for retaliation from Iran and its proxy groups – leading to a fight that could last even longer, diplomats said.
Allies have also been urged by U.S. officials to take precautionary measures in anticipation that Iran’s response will include retaliatory strikes against energy facilities and other critical infrastructure.
It is not yet clear when the US military will be ready.
Although the United States has not carried out any strikes against Iran since early September, the situation in the Middle East has become more complicated.
The conflict has spread, with Iran-backed Houthi rebels realization attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure and airports. A Saudi-led coalition responded with his own murderous attacks in territory controlled by the Houthis in Yemen.
The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that Gulf countries had been told to prepare for possible escalation by the United States.
It is unclear how long after Election Day the US military would be ready to resume its strikes.
Last month, the Pentagon deployed the USS Theodore Roosevelt, along with a series of amphibious landing ships with Marines aboard — about 9,000 troops in total — from San Diego to the Persian Gulf to bolster the U.S. military in the region.
At the time, a U.S. official said the deployment could lead to an unusually high naval presence of more than 20,000 sailors and Marines, as well as hundreds of aircraft, in the region, something that has only happened a few times in the past two decades. The Navy had three carrier strike groups in the Middle East in April for the first time since 2003.
On Wednesday evening, reports emerged that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had fired the The Pentagon’s top military planner. Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia has been removed as chief of strategy, plans and policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to a defense official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters. That manager said there was no immediate replacement for Sylvia and no reason was given for the termination.
Trump, who in recent weeks has focused on campaigning for Republicans ahead of the Nov. 3 election, has been evasive about what he plans to do next with Iran.
The war turned out to be a heavyweight on Republican candidates as they make their case to voters fed up with rising gasoline prices, a byproduct of war that has driven up costs in nearly every sector of the global economy.
The cost of fighting the war in Iran to American taxpayers rose to $47.1 billion, according to the latest estimate the Pentagon provided to Congress.
While campaigning for Republicans, Trump consistently assured voters that the end of the war was near, while threatening that a new round of bombings could take place once the election was over.
On Tuesday, during a campaign stop in Lubbock, Texas, Trump said a definitive end to the eight-month-old conflict could come “in a few weeks, if you don’t mind.”
“Someone once asked me: When will the war in Iran end? Trump said earlier in the same speech. “I said, ‘Every time I want it to be over.’ It will be very quick, but it has to end properly, with a total and complete declaration that they will never have nuclear weapons.”
Trump may be eyeing a post-election timetable for possible action, but the region is nervous that Tehran could do something provocative before then — especially if they believe U.S. actions are imminent, said Jonathan Schanzer, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank.
“Why would they wait until after the election here…if they could start it and potentially take over?” he said.
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Magdy reported from New York. AP writers Konstantin Toropin and Seung Min Kim contributed reporting.
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