Washington warns Gulf countries to prepare for a short, intense campaign against Iran after the midterms, the Wall Street Journal reports

The warning went out through diplomatic and military channels in recent days. Washington told several Gulf Arab governments to prepare for a short, intense military campaign against Iran once the November 3 midterm elections are past, according to people briefed on the conversations who spoke to the Wall Street Journal. The messages are among the clearest signs yet that the United States and Israel are readying a new round of heavy combat in a war that began on February 28 and has already cost 47.1 billion dollars as of October 16.

The preparations match the warning. The military is sending an additional Patriot system from Texas to Israel to strengthen missile defenses there, a movement visible in flight tracking data and confirmed by two officials. Troops have been moved off bases in the Middle East where Iranian retaliation could reach them. Forces in the region are restocking munitions, and bomber aircraft and jet fighters are preparing for strikes. An additional aircraft carrier strike group and a Marine expeditionary unit are poised to join roughly 20 American warships already operating in the Middle East next month, though some ships could rotate out. Naval Forces Central Command has advised vessels with no need to move between ports in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz to stay away. Israel has prepared its own plans and targets, the Journal reported, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has kept pushing for a resumption of strikes.

No order has been given. People familiar with the president thinking told the Journal that Trump has not decided, and that he is leaning toward a large attack after the election that could target Iranian infrastructure and nuclear sites. He has said in public that he will not attack before the midterms. At a rally in Fort Myers, Florida, last week he put the choice to Tehran in his own words. “We may do another little Epic Fury, or they will agree,” he said, using the name of the operation that opened the war. The other road is a deal. Regional mediators have kept working on one, and the Journal reported that the effort has yet to bear fruit. The White House declined to discuss the reporting. “We do not comment on sensitive military plans that may or may not exist. President Trump keeps all options on the table to ensure that Iran can never have a nuclear weapon,” an official said.

Iran has answered the threats with threats of its own. Iranian officials have warned that a renewed attack would bring strikes on economic and civilian targets across the region, and the Journal reported that Tehran still holds hundreds to thousands of missiles. On the nuclear question, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, told the UN Security Council this week that the agency has seen no indication Iran has tried to repair or reconstruct the nuclear facilities damaged in American and Israeli strikes, while inspectors still cannot verify the state of Iran stockpile of uranium enriched near weapons grade because Tehran has not restored their access. Oil markets are pricing the risk in the meantime. Brent crude settled near 116 dollars a barrel on Wednesday, as of October 28.