Analysts believe military action may not compel Iran to change its course, as the conflict has led to instability and increased regional tensions, questioning its effectiveness
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US President Donald Trump on Saturday said the United States could launch fresh strikes against Iran as soon as “tomorrow” or reach an agreement with Tehran, insisting that any deal must permanently prevent the country from developing a nuclear weapon.
The US military has drawn up options for potential attacks after the 3 November midterm elections, according to a report by The Hill, raising the prospect of renewed military action after more than eight months of conflict.
“There’s a possibility I will. There’s also a possibility we’ll have a nice big beautiful agreement,” Trump told reporters on Saturday when asked whether he would attack Iran. “Do you really think I’m going to tell you if I’m going to do it?” he added.
Trump said Iranian leaders wanted an agreement but questioned whether they would honour it. “They want to make a deal. But the problem is, will they hold the deal?” he said.
The President argued that ending the military campaign after US B-2 bomber strikes in 2025 would have allowed Iran to rebuild its nuclear capabilities and eventually develop a weapon.
“I’ve got to make it permanent. That’s the only reason I’m doing it as long as I’m doing,” Trump said. “The question is, do we finish that, which would not be difficult, or do we make a deal with them? And that’s going to be up to them.”
🇺🇸🇮🇷 Trump just admitted another U.S. attack on Iran is STILL ON THE TABLE.
“There’s a possibility.”
That’s his answer when asked whether American forces could strike Iran again.
With tensions already running high across the Middle East, the president is refusing to rule out another round of bombing.
Writer: Oliver
https://t.co/szNlIRA7s5— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) October 24, 2026
US Military Prepares Options
The US Central Command (Centcom), which oversees American forces in the Middle East, has prepared options for follow-up strikes against Iran should the White House authorise them, a source familiar with the plans told The Hill on condition of anonymity.
Another source said Centcom had several strike options ready to present to Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth. Trump intends to keep his options open until he has to make a final decision, the source added.
Gregory Brew, an Iran expert at Eurasia Group, said he believed renewed US military action was increasingly likely after the midterm elections. “To me, it looks pretty likely that the U.S. goes back to military strikes on Iran once the midterm elections are passed,” Brew told The Hill on Friday.
Trump has previously warned that the US could attack Tehran after the November elections, as Republicans seek to retain control of both chambers of Congress.
What Could a New US Attack on Iran Look Like?
Harrison Mann, a former executive officer at the Defence Intelligence Agency’s Middle East and Africa Regional Center, outlined two possible forms of escalation if Trump authorised fresh strikes. The first would involve returning to attacks on Iranian military and political targets inland, rather than concentrating on coastal targets.
“Since April, the US has basically not attacked anything except for targets on Iran’s coasts,” Mann told The Hill on Friday. He said US aircraft had apparently not flown over Iranian territory, apart from possibly one or two strikes.
Mann said the approach was likely intended to reduce the risk of escalation and avoid losing more aircraft.
A second option would involve attacks on civilian and energy infrastructure, particularly if Israeli forces were involved.
“The other path; these are not mutually exclusive, and which becomes more likely if Israeli forces are involved would be going directly targeting civilian infrastructure, energy infrastructure, or as we saw the Israelis do at the start of the conflict, universities, police stations, other civilian stuff,” he said.
The prospect of a renewed campaign comes amid stalled diplomatic negotiations, with Washington seeking major concessions from Tehran.
Regional analysts have questioned whether another US-Israeli military campaign would persuade Iran’s leadership to make concessions. The previous campaign contributed to the depletion of US missile interceptors and some advanced offensive weapons, pushed up fuel prices and caused further instability across the Middle East.
Mann argued that military strikes were unlikely to force Tehran to change course. “There’s no level of U.S. or Israeli strikes that is going to compel Iran to change course at this point,” he said.
Iranian leaders, he added, viewed the conflict as a fight for their personal survival and the survival of their regime. They had also increasingly come to believe they possessed leverage and could use it to extract concessions from Trump.