WASHINGTON/TEL AVIV, October 22, 2026 — The United States and Israel have drawn up plans for renewed military strikes on Iran after the November 3 US midterm elections, The New York Times reported early Thursday, pushing the region closer to another war. Published at 01:17 GMT, the report says the two countries have ramped up military drills — including strike-simulation flyovers of neighboring Iraq — and quotes US officials as saying a major new bombing campaign could "crater" Iran's economy into making diplomatic concessions.
Quick Answer: The New York Times reports, citing US officials, that the US and Israel have drafted plans for renewed strikes on Iran's energy sites, nuclear facilities, and missile arsenals after the November 3 midterms. A separate Financial Times report says Netanyahu had prepared strikes for the weekend of October 10, but Trump blocked them until after the election.
A second disclosure sharpens the picture: the Financial Times reported Wednesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered the Israel Defense Forces to prepare a large-scale attack on Iran for the weekend of October 10 — targeting nuclear facilities, regime sites, and civilian infrastructure including power plants — before President Donald Trump opposed the operation until after the midterms.
This is a genuinely new development. GlobalDeskNews reported Wednesday that Israeli jets had flown to Iran's border in a show of force; the newly published planning details — post-midterm timelines, target categories, and a blocked October offensive — go well beyond anything previously on record.
What the New York Times report on US-Israel Iran strike plans reveals
The Times, citing US officials and others briefed on the matter, says Washington and Jerusalem have ramped up military drills ahead of what the paper describes as "a short but intensive operation." Those drills have included flyovers of Iraq — Iran's western neighbor — to simulate strike maneuvers.
Possible targets, according to the officials quoted by the newspaper, are Iranian energy sites, nuclear facilities, and the country's arsenals of missiles and drones. Officials cited by the Times claimed that another major round of strikes could crater the Islamic Republic's economy and in doing so force it to make diplomatic concessions. The report cautions there is a small chance Trump acts this month, while he could also decide not to authorize any action at all.
The blocked October plan: what the FT found
The Financial Times' Wednesday report, based on three people familiar with the matter, says the IDF was ready to carry out the October strikes on the weekend of October 10 and that they would have been more intense than the ones carried out by the US and Israel in February. One source told the paper it is "not an unreasonable scenario" for strikes to be restarted in the coming weeks; another said Israel has prepared a new bank of targets that includes civilian infrastructure sites not hit in the past.
Why didn't it happen? The sources said Trump decided not to restart the conflict before the US midterms on November 3. One source suggested the planned strikes could also have been a negotiating tactic, and noted that any decision to restart the fighting lay with Trump. The FT said it was unclear whether the US would have joined the October operation directly, and there has been no comment from the Pentagon.
Drills, a secret Hegseth visit, and Tuesday's jet run
The FT report came two days after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly made a secret visit to Israel and met with Netanyahu to discuss "threats in the region." On Tuesday, Fox News reported that Israel held a drill sending fighter jets toward Iran through Syria and Iraq for a practice flight — the kind of rehearsal the NYT's sources describe as strike simulation. On October 9, Trump had said Washington would not attack Iran before the midterms.
Jerusalem reportedly assesses that Iran would respond to an American strike with massive missile fire at Israel — the deterrent arithmetic sitting behind every planning conversation.
Iran's answer: "fully prepared to defend itself"
Tehran is not acting surprised. On Wednesday, Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told the Financial Times that Iran was fully prepared to defend itself, while President Masoud Pezeshkian told state media the US could not expect dialogue while it was blockading and threatening Iran. Explosions were also heard in Sirik in southern Iran that day, and the US State Department moved to withdraw family members from more missions in the region.
Oil markets are already pricing the war
Brent crude futures rose $1.29, or 1.2%, to $110.11 a barrel at 0034 GMT on Thursday, while US WTI gained $0.97, or 1%, to $98.12, Reuters reported. To contain diesel prices, the White House offered Wednesday to loan up to nearly a third of the one-million-barrel US emergency heating oil reserve.
The shipping picture is darkening on its own: Kpler data shows at least 18 attacks on shipping over the past two weeks, and LSEG analysts have warned that Iran is targeting tankers well beyond the Strait of Hormuz, reaching into the Gulf of Oman and jeopardizing Gulf crude loadings and ship-to-ship transfers.
Why it matters
Two of the world's most-read newspapers, working from separate sources, now describe concrete strike planning — timelines, target categories, drills under way — and a president who has stopped the operation once for electoral reasons. With Brent above $110, the economic cost of a renewed US-Iran war is already being charged to consumers: fuel prices, heating costs, and a November 3 election visibly shaping military decisions.
What happens next
The calendar is now the battlefield. Israel's election is slated for next week; the US votes on November 3. If Netanyahu emerges weakened or as a caretaker, his authority to launch a war shrinks. If Trump gains political space after the midterms, the NYT's "small chance" of November action becomes the question everything turns on. Watch the drills: another reported Iraqi flyover or tanker incident in the Gulf of Oman would signal planning moving from rehearsal to launch.
Key Takeaways
- The New York Times reports the US and Israel have drafted plans for renewed strikes on Iran after the November 3 US midterms, citing US officials.
- Reported targets include Iranian energy sites, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenals; officials claim the goal is to crater Iran's economy into concessions.
- The FT separately reports Netanyahu prepared strikes for the weekend of October 10, but Trump blocked them until after the midterms.
- Brent crude rose 1.2% to $110.11 on Thursday as strike-planning reports and Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia rattled markets.
- Iran says it is fully prepared to defend itself, and Jerusalem reportedly assesses a massive Iranian missile response to any US strike.
FAQs
What did the New York Times report about US-Israel strike plans?
Citing US officials and others briefed, the Times says the US and Israel have drawn up plans for renewed military strikes on Iran after the November 3 midterms. Drills have been ramped up, including Iraqi flyovers simulating strikes, with Iranian energy sites, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenals as possible targets.
Did Netanyahu really plan to attack Iran in early October?
Per a Financial Times report Wednesday, citing three people familiar with the matter, Netanyahu ordered the IDF to prepare strikes for the weekend of October 10 on nuclear facilities, regime sites, and civilian infrastructure. The sources said they would have been more intense than February's campaign, but Trump blocked the operation until after the midterms.
Why is Trump holding off until after the midterms?
Per the FT's sources, Trump didn't want to reignite conflict before the November 3 midterms. On October 9 he said publicly that Washington would not attack Iran before the midterms. The reporting also links timing to fuel prices, with Brent crude above $110 a barrel.
Who is Pete Hegseth and why did he visit Israel?
Pete Hegseth is the US Secretary of Defense. He reportedly made a secret visit to Israel on Monday, meeting Netanyahu to discuss "threats in the region." Details of the talks aren't public; the FT received no comment from the Pentagon.
How has Iran responded to the reports?
Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi told the FT on Wednesday that Iran is fully prepared to defend itself, while President Pezeshkian told state media the US could not expect dialogue while blockading and threatening Iran. Jerusalem reportedly expects a massive Iranian missile response to any US strike.
How are oil markets reacting?
Brent rose $1.29, or 1.2%, to $110.11 a barrel at 0034 GMT Thursday, with WTI up $0.97, or 1%, to $98.12, Reuters reported. Kpler data shows at least 18 attacks on shipping in two weeks, and LSEG warns Iran is targeting tankers beyond the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman.
By GlobalDeskNews Staff
Sources
- The Times of Israel, "US and Israel said to draft plans for resumed strikes on Iran after midterm elections" (reporting The New York Times), published 2026-10-22T01:17:35Z.
- The Times of Israel, "Report: Netanyahu planned attack on Iran earlier this month, but Trump opposed it" (reporting the Financial Times), October 21, 2026.
- Reuters via The Business Times, "Oil rises as US orders diplomats to leave Saudi Arabia amid escalating tensions", October 22, 2026.