The timing of Tuesday’s US midterm elections has loomed heavily over speculation surrounding the next phase of the conflict.
By United with Israel Staff
President Donald Trump spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday as the United States weighs renewed military action against Iran, the Wall Street Journal reported, with Washington and Tehran exchanging increasingly forceful warnings amid concerns that intense fighting could soon resume.
The Journal did not provide details of the conversation between the two leaders, which came just days after senior American military commanders briefed Trump on options for renewed operations against the Islamic Republic.
Hours after the call, Trump suggested that only a small number of targets remained to be dealt with in Iran’s nuclear program and that the United States could strike them rapidly.
“We’ve knocked out their nuclear. We still have to take care of, I would say, one or two sites, but we can do that in 10 minutes,” Trump told reporters during a Halloween event at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida.
“You probably could look at Pickaxe Mountain, and you have to take care of that. We can do that all very quickly,” he added, referring to a suspected underground nuclear complex that has not yet been struck by the United States.
The comments come amid growing American military preparations across the region. Ten US military transport aircraft arrived at Israeli air bases last week, while additional American flights and military assets have been deployed elsewhere in the Middle East as Washington strengthens regional defenses and replenishes stocks ahead of a possible renewed confrontation.
The timing of Tuesday’s US midterm elections has loomed heavily over speculation surrounding the next phase of the conflict. Trump said last month that the United States would not attack Iran before the November 3 vote, while repeatedly leaving open the possibility of renewed military action afterward.
With the election now just two days away, Trump’s comments, the military buildup and his conversation with Netanyahu have intensified speculation that a decision could come soon after Americans go to the polls.
Iran, meanwhile, has issued increasingly direct warnings of retaliation.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, who has not appeared publicly since reportedly being wounded in the opening phase of Operation Epic Fury in February, which killed his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei, issued a statement on his official Telegram channel warning of a possible Iranian response.
“If the enemies once again launch military or terrorist attacks, it is the armed forces of the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation that will determine the time and conditions for ending them,” Khamenei said.
The statement suggested that any Iranian response could extend beyond the geographic areas targeted during the previous round of fighting, potentially putting additional countries at risk.
Khamenei also said he had instructed Iran’s military to prepare updated lists of potential targets involving the United States and Israel.
Still, the Trump administration has continued to send mixed signals over whether another round of strikes is inevitable.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that Trump had not yet made a final decision and that Washington remained open to a diplomatic solution, while Vice President JD Vance reportedly sent a letter to Iranian officials expressing support for resolving the confrontation diplomatically.
Trump himself said negotiations with Tehran were “going fine,” while cautioning that the Iranian regime is “not very reliable.”
Asked whether the United States could return to war against Iran as soon as this week, Trump refused to reveal his plans.
“Let’s say I did, would I tell you?” he responded.
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