As Iran anticipates fresh US-Israeli strikes, Trump gives a ‘maybe’ answer
Iran says large-scale bombings may happen on its territory before Oct 27 polls in Israel; Trump maintains suspense, says US may attack Iran or even strike a deal with it
Even as Iran anticipates the US and Israel to launch fresh attacks on its territory with military operations beginning before the October 27 elections in Israel, US President Donald Trump on Saturday (October 24) said America may strike Iran as soon as Sunday (October 25) or even seal a deal, adding suspense to the whole affair.
Anxiety has been growing in Iran and elsewhere that the US or Israel will resume attacks before or just after Tuesday's elections in Israel or the US midterm elections.
US may attack or strike a deal: Trump
On Saturday, after Trump cast his ballot in the midterm elections, reporters asked him how close he was to a possible attack; the president bristled and said, “Do you really think I’d tell you that?”
He recently said on social media that he would not hit Iran again before the November 3 midterm elections in the US.
Also read: Another US-Iran escalation in the offing as Trump weighs next move?
Trump called the reporter’s question stupid, but conceded that the US indeed has plans to strike Iran.
“Maybe tomorrow...there’s a possibility I will. There’s a possibility we’ll have a nice, big, beautiful agreement. They want to make a deal, but the problem is, will they hold the deal?” he said.
The development comes even as Trump’s ratings have nosedived, driven by public discontent over the US-Israel war on Iran and soaring fuel prices. There is a higher possibility that the public anger will be directed toward the US president’s Republican party.
Iran anticipates strikes before Israel polls
Even though Trump maintains ambiguity over plans for a possible attack, Drop Site News, quoting senior Iranian officials and a US official, said that the military operations could begin before the elections in Israel.
The Israeli press has also reported that Netanyahu, who faces a tough election at home, wants to use the standoff against Iran to better his chances of winning.
A senior Iranian official told Drop Site News that Iran has gathered intelligence that there is a high likelihood of large-scale bombing before Tuesday’s elections in Israel.
The official told Drop Site News that negotiations between both the warring parties had hit a stalemate because “Trump sat on Iran’s proposed package”.
Also read: Trump rules out nuclear weapons against Iran, says ground troops unlikely
“Contrary to the show he is putting on, Trump has no clear or actionable plan for (ending) the war with Iran. This has been the cause of a diplomatic deadlock,” the official said.
The official also warned that if the US launches fresh attacks, it will be the one bearing greater consequences.
“Should another war against Iran begin, given our knowledge of the patterns of American force deployment in the countries of the region, their casualty figures will be ten times higher,” the official said.
Iran blames US for derailing parleys
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has also levelled similar allegations against the US. Accusing Washington of disrupting negotiations to end the war, he said he still believes “we have to go and finish it”.
In comments aired on state television, he said Iran's supreme leader had instructed Iranian officials to “go and finish it (the deal),” but “these scoundrels broke the rules of the game. We were holding talks, and they disrupted them”.
Tehran’s ambassador to Islamabad, Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghadam, on Saturday, also said that Iran remains open to talks with the US under a Pakistan-brokered interim deal reached in June to end the conflict. He also accused Washington of undermining diplomacy and prolonging the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz.
Moghadam said that Iran recently conveyed through Pakistan that it was prepared to reopen the Strait of Hormuz if Washington lifted its naval blockade, but accused US President Trump of rejecting the proposal by insisting the blockade of Iranian ports would continue.
US moving assets into position: Report
Drop Site News quoting a US official said that the US is rapidly moving assets into position, indicating a possibility of strikes on Iran. The official claimed that US Central Common chief General Bradley Cooper was among those pushing for renewed attacks on Iran.
“CENTCOM is putting all the pieces into place to renew major combat operations,” the official told Drop Site.
Also read: What are Iran’s 7 conditions for the US to resume peace talks?
The official, however, clarified that preparing for an attack may not necessarily translate into making the attack, as Trump is known for backing down after reaching the threshold of an attack.
“Trump has backed off major combat operations against Iran or the Houthis seven times since July,” the official said. “At the last minute, he calls it off.”
Trump’s ‘another Epic Fury’ threat
Trump on Friday warned Iran of launching “another little Epic Fury,” referring to the US military codename for the war.
“We may do another little Epic Fury, or they'll agree. If they're smart, they'll just say, Let's get down to business,” he had said.
Also read: Iran warns of ‘painful’ attacks if US launches fresh strikes; America issues travel advisory
He had earlier said that the fresh strikes on Iran would not happen before the US mid-term elections.