Photo credit: China Daily
American allies in the Gulf region have been warned that the US may begin a “short, intense renewal” of strikes on Iran after the midtermms.
Daily Mail reports that President Donald Trump has promised not to strike Iran at least until the November 3 elections have been concluded. However, he gave an ominous threat regarding the war at a rally in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday.
“We brought inflation down, way down. We have it down now. When the war ends, it will come way down,” he told his supporters.
“It can be over whenever I want it to be over. Someone asked me, ‘When will the war in Iran end?’ I said, ‘Whenever I want it to end.”‘
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that several Gulf Arab allies have been asked to prepare for short, intense strikes on Tehran shortly after the elections.
The military has begun preparing bomber aircraft and jet fighters and restocking munitions. The Pentagon has also sent another aircraft carrier strike group to the region, which already has about 20 warships.
America’s missile defences will be bolstered by a Patriot system from Texas, while troops have moved from potentially vulnerable bases and diplomats have been asked to exit embassies in recent weeks.
Sources close to President Trump have said that he has not yet given the go-ahead on the strikes but wants to stage a post-election attack against Iran’s nuclear sites and other infrastructure.
“The Department is a planning organization and its job is to develop and execute military options ordered by the President,” a Senior Pentagon official told The Daily Mail when asked about the potential for a strike.
Trump took his midterm campaign blitz to Texas, where Senate candidate Ken Paxton is locked in a tight race against Democrat James Talarico.
Secretary of State Marcos Rubio joined Trump to show off a newly arrived oil tanker filled with Venezuelan crude to be processed in Texas refineries.
Republican strategies privately acknowledge the war is severely damaging party efforts to retain control of Congress as gasoline price hikes drive up costs across the economy.
Americans are angry at soaring energy prices and frustrated over the nearly eight-month Iran war, which Trump initially said would be over within weeks. At a rally in Michigan on Sunday, Trump dismissed the concerns about higher gas prices, calling them a “small price to pay.”
