"U.S. and Israel Plan Joint Airstrikes on Iran After Midterms"... Effect Uncertain

"Three days of airstrikes could break Iran's will to resist"
"It remains unclear whether Trump will order an attack"

AP-Yonhap News

The United States and Israel are jointly preparing airstrikes against Iran for after next month's U.S. midterm elections, The New York Times reported on October 21. The two countries are reportedly considering attacks to bring Iran to the negotiating table, though concerns have also been raised that they may not achieve results on the scale of the early days of the war.

Citing anonymous sources, The New York Times reported that "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met in Israel this week to discuss new options for airstrikes against Iran" and that "the two countries are considering specific joint operations to target Iran's military and nuclear facilities after the U.S. midterm elections." Netanyahu reportedly also shared intelligence with Hegseth indicating that Iran was showing signs of moving to rebuild its nuclear program.

Targets under consideration for planned U.S.-Israeli airstrikes against Iran reportedly include the country's energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities, as well as its missile and drone arsenals. The New York Times reported that "some U.S. strategists are confident that three days of intensive airstrikes could inflict enough economic damage to change Iran's position," adding that "the assessment is that another large-scale attack could push Iran's economy to the brink of collapse, leaving the country with no choice but to make diplomatic concessions."

However, it remains uncertain whether U.S. President Donald Trump will approve the additional attacks. Trump has already rejected several proposals this year to resume major combat operations. One of them was an attack plan for which U.S. and Israeli forces had nearly completed preparations this month, The New York Times noted.

It is also unclear whether additional airstrikes would achieve results on the scale of the initial attacks in late February, which killed a large number of Iran's senior leadership. Iran's government has weathered Western economic sanctions for years and has maintained its current system despite intensive U.S. and Israeli attacks.

Israel's general election, scheduled for October 27, is another factor. If Netanyahu loses, he would remain as caretaker prime minister, which could make it harder to launch a new military operation. Citing experts, The New York Times reported that "if Netanyahu loses the election, it will become even more difficult to resume airstrikes against Iran."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.