The Atlantic magazine reported, citing sources close to policy discussions, that the Trump administration is evaluating a new multi-day military strike on Iran. According to Iran International's reporting, this evaluation coincides with Washington's economic pressure strategy failing to return Tehran to the negotiating table and high energy prices becoming a political problem for Republicans before the election.
Within the administration, there is disagreement over the impact of new strikes. An outside advisor told the magazine that economic pressure is working and Iran's leadership is approaching a critical threshold, and a new wave of strikes could help push past that threshold. Some officials, however, warned that new strikes could backfire; The Atlantic noted this disagreement persisted even as Trump's dissatisfaction with the pace of economic pressure mounted.
According to the report, Trump had already considered launching a new strike wave before the election; some Washington officials supported this option arguing that military success could provide political advantage in the election campaign's final days. A White House official told the magazine that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had pressed Trump for approval of additional strikes before his own election. However, Trump has not approved a new operation before the election; he wrote on Truth Social earlier this month that the U.S. would not conduct new strikes before voting. Officials noted that no final decision has been made on a post-November 3 strike, and that uncertainty about Washington's intention and timing could itself increase pressure on Tehran.
The Atlantic reported additional details it characterized as signals of potential escalation: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Israel this week and discussed Iran with Netanyahu; the State Department announced the evacuation of non-essential U.S. personnel and their families from Saudi Arabia, citing increased Houthi attacks (related report). According to an earlier New York Times report, U.S. and Israeli militaries have detailed plans prepared for a new strike wave; this operation could begin after the November 3 election but has not yet obtained Trump's approval. The White House did not respond to The Atlantic's request for comment; CENTCOM also declined to comment. Trump, on October 22, told journalists he would not rule out additional military action against Iran while defending the war, saying "we beat them good, we can keep going a little bit."
Context
The Atlantic reported earlier this month that the White House had requested strike options from the Pentagon that could be used before the election, though the scale and targets had not yet been finalized; Al Jazeera also reported at that time that Trump's advisors viewed the post-election period as a more suitable window. U.S. midterm elections will be held on November 3; Israel is also experiencing an ongoing election campaign. Trump's dual messaging—his pledge not to conduct strikes before the election and his open-ended statements on post-election possibilities—demonstrates that the war's trajectory remains tightly bound to election calendars in both the U.S. and Israel.
