Trump warns Gulf allies to brace for a 'short, intense' blitz on Iran once the midterm elections are over
US bombers take off from RAF Fairford in July. Trump has warned Gulf allies to brace for a large-scale assault on Iranian nuclear sites and infrastructure shortly after the November 3 midterm elections.
Vice President JD Vance has written directly to the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council in an effort to revive peace talks and head off a new US military campaign expected to begin shortly after the November 3 midterm elections. Trump has not yet issued a final order but is leaning toward a large-scale post-election strike on Iranian nuclear sites and broader infrastructure.
Gulf states are pressing to lock in a wide-ranging peace proposal that would see the Strait of Hormuz reopened within four days of sanctions relief, with a Houthi withdrawal from Yemen also part of the package.
Trump told a Texas rally the war could end 'whenever I want it to be over', while the Pentagon has moved a Patriot missile battery from Texas to Israel and repositioned troops away from vulnerable bases.
Qatari mediators have separately put their own deal to Iran, but Tehran continues to refuse readmission of UN weapons inspectors — the condition European powers describe as the minimum requirement for any breakthrough.
