Trump Is Considering a Plan to Strike Iran Before the Midterms

According to The Atlantic, as quoted by Political Wire, "the United States hasn't struck Iran in several weeks"[2] after months of fighting that started and stopped. The magazine said the assumption had been that Trump would keep things quiet to avoid reminding voters of "an unpopular war that is dragging Republican candidates down nationwide."[2]The Jerusalem Post reports that US Central Command is developing the options, a US official told the magazine[1], and that the potential targets, scope of an operation, and whether President Donald Trump will authorize military action remain under discussion.[1]The Jerusalem Post also says that administration officials linked the planning to Trump's desire to show progress in the conflict and address high gasoline prices ahead of the vote.[1] According to yourNEWS, a Republican familiar with the talks told The Atlantic that a strike "would make the president look like he got a win and that gas prices would start going down."[3]Mediaite reports that Trump's advisers reportedly favor waiting until after the midterms to resume strikes[4], out of concern that American casualties could hurt Republicans. Rolling Stone, citing The Atlantic, reports that Centcom has, for weeks, been preparing attack plans that would be carried out after the midterms, but only recently started accelerating their timeline.[5]The Jerusalem Post reports that a White House official told the magazine that Trump "has all options available at any time," but did not answer questions about the timing of potential strikes.[1]