America is preparing to bomb Iran once the midterm elections are over
59 minutes ago · 30 October 2026Share
A B-52 Stratofortress bomber aircraft takes off during a U.S. Air Force Weapons School Integration exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, November 18, 2021. File photo. William R. Lewis · CC0
America is getting ready to bomb Iran. And the plan is to wait until after the midterm elections.
So here's what's happening. Current and former US officials just told Newsmax the Trump administration plans to strike Iran once the 3 November elections are over. That report came out about a day ago, from the journalist Carla Babb. It says US aircraft are being moved into the Middle East right now, and that the bombs being prepared could include the GBU-43, the largest non-nuclear bomb America has. People call it the Mother Of All Bombs.
And this isn't a one-off report. It fits three weeks of build-up.
Four days ago, CNN said two US officials told them American forces in the Middle East could launch a major operation within 96 hours of an order from Donald Trump, the US President. CNN and the Wall Street Journal both reported that the Pentagon has already built a target list. On it: Iran's energy sites, its military bases, and its nuclear facilities. Two named targets keep coming up. Iran's Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site. And Kharg Island, which handles around 90% of all of Iran's oil exports.
So has Trump actually decided? Officials told CNN he hasn't made a final call yet, but that he is leaning toward doing it.
One US official says quote "it will be a big effort".
The build-up goes well past aircraft. The Wall Street Journal says the US has told Gulf Arab allies to get ready for a short but intense campaign. Fox News and India Weekly report an extra aircraft carrier group and a Marine unit are heading to the region, and a Patriot missile defence system is moving from Texas to Israel. PBS reported a third US aircraft carrier and thousands more troops are on the way, and that Middle East allies have been warned Iran might hit back.
On that same day, something else happened. Pete Hegseth, the Defence Secretary, fired Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia, the Pentagon's top military planner. No reason given.
Here's why the timing matters. Three weeks ago Donald Trump said the US would not attack Iran before the midterm elections. That's the promise. And 3 November is the day it runs out.
But here's the twist. On the exact same day as the Newsmax report, a completely different track was moving.
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A Landing Craft Air Cushion transits the Arabian Sea while deployed as part of an amphibious ready group to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. File photo. Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Ryan M. Breeden · Public domain
Tom Barrack, the US Ambassador to Turkey, told CNN Washington and Tehran were close to a de-escalation deal. Qatari mediators delivered a letter from JD Vance, the US Vice President, to Mohsen Rezaei, who runs Iran's Supreme National Security Council, asking for new talks. Donald Trump said he didn't tell Vance to send it, but he approved it. He described the letter's purpose as getting supplies in to help people who are not well.
So think about that. The same government is moving aircraft carriers and bombs toward Iran, and sending a letter asking for peace talks. On the same day.
Iran hasn't really moved. Abbas Araghchi, Iran's Foreign Minister, said a new war would not change Iran's position, and that Iran is sticking with its own diplomatic plan. Iran wants four things before it talks: the US naval blockade on its ports lifted, sanctions suspended, its frozen assets released, and a guarantee it won't be struck again.
And there's a reason both sides are being careful. This war between the US, Israel and Iran started on 28 February this year. It has a codename, Operation Epic Fury. US Central Command says it has already cost the US military at least $47.1 billion. Oil is trading at $101 to $104 a barrel because of it. A Reuters and Ipsos poll found only 34% of Americans approve of how Trump is handling the war. That's his lowest rating in either term.
And that poll lands right before an election. Republicans hold the Senate 53 to 47 and the House 218 to 214. Thin majorities. Which is exactly why Trump ruled out pre-election strikes in the first place.
Israel is watching all this closely too. Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel's Prime Minister, had his own election four days ago. His bloc is projected to win 53 seats. That's short of the 61 he needs for a majority. CNN reported that Benjamin Netanyahu has been pushing for renewed joint strikes on Iran, but US officials asked him to wait until American forces are ready. An Israeli security source told CNN that Benjamin Netanyahu tried to get Trump to strike before the US midterms. Benjamin Netanyahu's office called that story fake news.
Then there's the intelligence. Jay Clayton, the Director of National Intelligence, sent an unclassified memo a week ago to Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State. It warned that Iran has substantially increased its efforts to target US troops.
The Pentagon won't confirm any operational detail. All it would say is that the Department is a planning organisation, and its job is to develop and carry out military options the President orders. The White House wouldn't comment either, calling it sensitive military plans that may or may not exist. It added that Trump keeps all options on the table so Iran can never get a nuclear weapon.
So what don't we know? Whether any of this turns into an actual order. Every outlet on this story, Newsmax included, says no final decision has been made. Trump has pulled back from strikes before. And Tom Barrack says a deal is close, but Iran hasn't shown it's willing to meet the conditions the US side seems to want.
So right now, the aircraft are moving. A letter has gone out asking for talks. And the only date anyone can point to for certain is 3 November, the day the one thing holding Trump back disappears.
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