Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressing U.S. President Donald Trump to launch new strikes on Iran following the November 3, 2026 midterm elections, according to two regional officials and a person familiar with the matter.
The push comes after Netanyahu and his far-right allies lost their parliamentary majority in last week's elections, with a return to full-scale war with Iran potentially helping the Israeli leader form an emergency government.
Trump has alternated between threatening major strikes and pushing for a deal with Iran. He did not commit to military action during a weekend call with Netanyahu, a source briefed on the conversation said. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated that the Trump administration prefers a diplomatic solution and that Trump has "incredible confidence" in military action if needed.
Diplomatic efforts have made progress, with Qatari mediators holding two rounds of talks with Iranian officials last week. The mediators are trying to advance a framework for Iran to cease its attacks on the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for the U.S. lifting its blockade on Iran's ports. More talks are planned for this week.
Other U.S. allies in West Asia have warned against additional strikes, arguing they would destabilise the region and could prompt Iran-allied Houthi rebels in Yemen to step up attacks on Saudi Arabia and Red Sea shipping. Iran-backed militias in Iraq could also get involved.
Iran says it is prepared for war or diplomacy. The new supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, met with military chiefs and said the response to any threat from the U.S. or Israel should be immediate and without geographic limits. A recent AP analysis found Iranian strikes on more than two dozen U.S. bases since the start of the war have caused billions of dollars in equipment damage.
October saw the most attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz since March, as Iran has tried to ramp up economic pressure on the U.S. to lift its blockade. China said it will send a special envoy to Iran, Oman and Saudi Arabia in early to mid-November, calling for a return to dialogue and warning against the Gulf becoming an arena for great-power rivalry.
