Kathmandu. After the mid-term elections next week, the US is preparing to launch a new military operation against Iran. The United States has also asked allied countries in West Asia to be aware that war may start.
Two diplomats disclosed this matter in a conversation with the Associated Press (AP). However, they refused to publish their names. According to them, the West Asian allies have been asked to be prepared for a possible retaliatory attack by Iran after the war escalates. The White House and US officials have refused to comment on the matter.
US President Donald Trump has not yet made a final decision on whether to launch new airstrikes against Iran. However, Trump has repeatedly hinted that new military operations may be ordered after the November 3 election, which is considered crucial in the United States.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Aragchi, wrote a post on social network “X” on Wednesday and said that Tehran is “trying to make diplomacy successful. He said that he is talking with the US through mediators.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) issued a statement urging both sides to exercise restraint and reduce tension. The ministry has also asked to find a way for a political solution to the war. US officials have told regional allies that the new round of military operations could drag on for several days.
However, regional authorities have been urged to be cautious as Iran and its close groups may retaliate and prolong the conflict for a longer time. The US has also warned its allies that Iran may target important infrastructures including energy infrastructure.
Much is unclear about the preparations
The US has not attacked Iran since the beginning of September. Despite this, the security situation in West Asia is becoming complicated. Iran-backed Houthi rebels are intensifying attacks targeting Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure and airports. The Saudi-led coalition is also retaliating with its deadly attacks on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen.
“The Wall Street Journal” previously published the news that the US has informed the Gulf countries about increasing the number of its troops in West Asia. It is not yet clear how long after the end of the election, the US military will start the attack again.
In order to strengthen the American military presence at the regional level, last month, the US sent amphibious landing ships carrying marine forces along with the USS Theodore Roosevelt aircraft carrier from San Diego to the Persian Gulf. About 9,000 soldiers traveled in this campaign.
A US official has said that the number of US Navy personnel in the region could reach more than 20,000 after the election. Similarly, he claims that hundreds of planes can be deployed. Earlier in April, three US aircraft carriers were stationed in West Asia.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday night, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired the Pentagon’s top military planner. According to a defense official who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity, US Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, who held the responsibilities of chief of strategy, planning and policy under the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has been removed from his post. According to the official, no one has been brought in to replace Sylvia. No reason for his dismissal has been disclosed
American President Donald Trump is now busy with election rallies to win the Republican Party candidates in the mid-term elections. Rising prices due to the Iran war is one of the main issues of this election. Voters are fed up with rising petrol prices. This war has increased costs in almost every sector of the world economy.
The opposition Democratic Party is opposing the Republican Party by raising this issue. Trump has said that talks with Iran are possible. They have been claiming that Iran will soon be defeated and the war will end. According to the latest estimates provided by the Pentagon to the Congress, the US has spent 47 billion 100 million dollars on the war with Iran.
Addressing an election rally in Lubbock, Texas on Tuesday, Trump said that a decisive end to the eight-month conflict could be within a few weeks. “Someone asked me before, when will the war in Iran end?” Trump said. “I said, ‘When I want it to end.’
Trump may be waiting for the post-election deadline for possible action. However, other countries in West Asia are also worried that Iran may launch a major attack before that. “If they think that Trump will act in any way, then they can launch the attack first. Why do they wait until the election here?’ said Jonathan Schanzer, executive director of the Washington-based think tank ‘Foundation for Defense of Democracies’. Ap