Israel Reportedly Postponed Planned Strikes on Iran Over Trump’s Position

According to the Financial Times, as reported by the outlet Pravda Tutnews, Israel was preparing a major military operation against Iran in early October but postponed it because U.S. President Donald Trump was unwilling to allow escalation ahead of the U.S. midterm elections.

The Financial Times reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had sought to carry out massive strikes through an air campaign that would begin on the weekend of October 10 and last several days. According to the report, the plan included nuclear attacks, targets associated with the Iranian regime, and civilian infrastructure, including power stations.

The newspaper reported that Trump feared further escalation could harm the U.S. economy and energy prices before the congressional midterm elections on November 3. Netanyahu and Trump reportedly continued to discuss the possibility of renewed war. One source cited by the Financial Times said that strikes by Israel and the United States on Iran in the coming weeks remained one of several possible scenarios.

The report quoted a source saying that Washington wants Tehran to agree to limits on its nuclear program and to some form of control over the Strait of Hormuz, and that the war would end within those bounds. The Financial Times also reported that the outcome could be either an agreement or an attack.

On October 20, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrived in Israel and met with Netanyahu and other senior Israeli defense officials. One source told the Financial Times that the Israeli side presented an updated list of goals in Iran, which included civilian infrastructure that had not been struck in the previous campaign. The report did not say whether that list was adopted.

The Financial Times reported that it remains unknown whether the United States would have taken part directly in the operation planned for October or whether Israel would have acted alone. Another source suggested that the military preparations could have been a way to increase pressure on Tehran during negotiations, and said the final decision on whether to carry out the strikes would depend on the position of the U.S. president.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Ukrainian)