President Donald Trump is considering launching another round of U.S. military strikes against Iran before the Nov. 3 midterm elections, with the White House directing the Pentagon to prepare options for possible action in the coming weeks, according to various sources.

The planning, which is being carried out by U.S. Central Command, comes despite widespread expectations that Trump would seek to preserve the recent relative lull in fighting until after Election Day. No final decision has been made, and both the scope of a potential operation and the targets that could be struck remain under discussion.

The White House request reflects an intensifying debate inside the administration over whether renewed military action could pressure Tehran, demonstrate American strength and give Trump a tangible achievement before voters head to the polls — or instead reignite a deeply unpopular conflict at precisely the wrong political moment.

One option under consideration is a relatively limited strike before the election, potentially followed by a much broader military campaign after Nov. 3. Supporters of the approach believe a successful operation could allow Trump to claim progress against Iran and reinforce the image that Washington is regaining control of a conflict that has dragged on for months.

“It would make the president look like he got a win and that gas prices would start going down,” a Republican familiar with the deliberations said.

But even advocates of the proposed operation acknowledge that limited strikes alone would be unlikely to force Iran back to the negotiating table, reopen the Strait of Hormuz to normal shipping or bring gasoline prices down before Election Day.

Those concerns have fueled opposition among some Trump advisers, who believe the administration would be better served by waiting until after the midterms. A renewed attack could provoke Iranian retaliation against American troops and Gulf allies, send oil prices sharply higher and once again put the war at the center of the national political debate.

Approximately 50,000 U.S. troops are currently stationed across the region, potentially placing them within reach of an Iranian response. Another campaign would also further draw down American weapons stockpiles that have already been strained by months of fighting.

“Military action has done nothing to drive down oil prices; in fact, it has done the opposite,” said Will Walldorf, an international-affairs professor at Wake Forest University and senior fellow at Defense Priorities. “And if this is an attempt to rally the Republican vote, how does that make any sense given how unpopular this war is?”

Trump himself has repeatedly signaled that additional military action remains on the table. In his address to the United Nations last month, the president threatened to “annihilate the Islamic Republic” if Tehran refused to reach an agreement.

In an interview released earlier this month, Trump also indicated that the United States has been preparing for the possibility of another major confrontation, saying, “we’ve been stocking up for the last six months.”

Trump went even further last week when discussing when he expected the United States to prevail in the conflict, saying victory could come “right after the election,” before adding, “Maybe before the election.”

The timing is especially sensitive because the Iran conflict has emerged as a significant political liability for Republicans. Rising energy costs have become a major campaign issue, with GOP candidates in competitive House and Senate races increasingly worried that voters will punish the party over gasoline and diesel prices.

Gasoline now averages approximately $4.37 a gallon nationwide, compared with just under $3 before the United States and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran on Feb. 28. Oil prices soared to nearly $118 a barrel during the spring and, despite fluctuating since then, have remained around $100 a barrel in recent weeks.

The Pentagon has already presented Trump with a range of options for renewed military action after the elections. Those plans reportedly range from smaller, targeted strikes to a much larger assault that could include additional attacks against Iran’s energy infrastructure.

CENTCOM is now developing a separate menu of options that could be carried out before the election.

Trump has reportedly grown increasingly frustrated by the failure to bring the conflict to a decisive conclusion. People close to the president believe he is prepared to strike Iran again, although some of his advisers continue to argue that the safest political and military course would be to wait until after Nov. 3.

A White House official emphasized that Trump “has all options available at any time,” adding that “things will go one of two ways; the easy way or the hard way.”

The official did not say whether the president is leaning toward authorizing strikes before the election.

The deliberations are unfolding as the United States dramatically expands its military capabilities in the Middle East. The Pentagon is preparing for the possibility of having three aircraft carriers in the region, along with amphibious warships, thousands of additional sailors and Marines, and hundreds of military aircraft.

The USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and USS Makin Island amphibious readiness group are among the forces being sent toward the region. If the deployments proceed as planned, the United States could have three carrier groups positioned in the Middle East by late October, providing Trump with substantially greater firepower should he order another major operation against Iran.

At the same time, Washington and Tehran remain engaged in indirect contacts through mediators. Those negotiations have produced little visible progress, with significant disagreements remaining over the terms and sequencing of a ceasefire, the U.S. blockade connected to the Strait of Hormuz and the reopening of the critical waterway.

The Strait of Hormuz remains central to both the military and economic confrontation. Before Iran moved to restrict the waterway earlier in the war, roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passed through the strait. Even modest changes in tanker traffic have therefore had an immediate effect on global energy markets.

Earlier this week, Iranian forces again targeted ships attempting to pass through the strait, prompting some shipping companies to reconsider using the route. Administration officials reportedly view the attacks as a deliberate attempt by Tehran to inflict additional economic and political pressure on Trump ahead of the midterms.

“Iran is watching the calendar and knows the election is coming,” one adviser said. “And they want to stick it to the president.”

The administration has also announced plans to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to increase supply and prevent gasoline prices from climbing further.

Meanwhile, the security threat from Iran has extended beyond the Middle East. The United States recently withdrew B-1 bombers from RAF Fairford in Britain after intelligence pointed to the possibility of an Iranian-linked attack against the base. Iran has denied involvement.

Despite those developments, senior administration officials reportedly believe Tehran is now in its weakest position since the conflict began. Iran is facing severe economic pressure, soaring inflation and uncertainty within its leadership, while hard-liners continue to resist significant concessions to Washington.

Some Trump advisers believe those pressures could eventually force Tehran to compromise. From that perspective, another American strike before Election Day could provide the additional pressure needed to break the stalemate.

Others fear precisely the opposite: that another attack would harden Iran’s position, trigger retaliation, drive oil and gasoline prices higher and return the war to the forefront of American voters’ minds just weeks before they decide control of Congress.

{Matzav.com}