FT: Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu wants to resume attacks on Iran. Trump is against it, waiting for midterm elections in Congress

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to resume large-scale strikes on Iran and earlier this month instructed the military to plan a new major offensive. However, the planned steps never materialized because US President Donald Trump was against it.

This is reported by the Financial Times (FT), citing three sources familiar with the situation.

According to FT, Israel planned to resume large-scale bombing of Iran over the weekend of October 10-11. The targets were to be power plants, nuclear facilities and other Iranian regime facilities.

However, the operation was canceled because Donald Trump did not want to resume the war before the midterm elections for the US Congress on November 3.

Despite this, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continue to threaten new strikes, which, according to FT sources, could be more intense than the previous joint US-Israeli operation against Iran.

The US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited Israel on October 19. During the meetings, Israeli officials presented an updated list of targets in Iran, including civilian infrastructure, sources said.

At the same time, the White House said that the US would not attack Iran before the midterm elections. According to FT sources, the proposed operation by Israel could be an attempt to increase pressure on Tehran during the negotiations.

Amid the threat of a new escalation, IDF has increased combat readiness and canceled military leave ahead of the Israeli parliamentary elections on October 27.

Axios previously reported that Trump and Netanyahu discussed resuming large-scale military action against Iran ahead of elections in both countries. However, a US official in a comment to the FT denied that such a conversation took place.

Israel and the US war against Iran

On the morning of February 28, the United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran. These attacks killed Iranʼs Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and almost the entire military leadership of the country — about 40 key high-ranking officials.

Iran, in response to the US and Israeli attacks, began shelling Arab countries where US bases are located, and Israel. The war also stopped the movement of tankers through the Strait of Hormuz — a narrow sea corridor between Iran and Oman, which connects the Persian Gulf with the Indian Ocean. It was through it that almost a fifth of the worldʼs oil exports passed — tens of millions of barrels per day. This led to a sharp jump in prices.

The sides have negotiated a ceasefire several times. The last time was on June 18, when the US and Iran signed a memorandum of understanding, which pledged to cease hostilities for 60 days. However, on July 8, the sides exchanged blows again — Iran struck ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and the US struck targets on Iranian territory.

Since then, the countries have repeatedly exchanged blows. In mid-September, WSJ reported that Trumpʼs advisers believe that a war with Iran could last until the end of his presidency.

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