Source : BRICS NEWS
WASHINGTON, October 24, 2026 — United States President Donald Trump has said Washington may launch another “Operation Epic Fury” against Iran, BRICS News reported on X, raising fresh concern about a return to large-scale fighting as the war nears its eighth month.
The post, published at about 4.02am Malaysia time on Saturday and marked “JUST IN”, read: “President Trump says US may launch another ‘Operation Epic Fury’ against Iran.”
https://x.com/BRICSinfo/status/2113722627411832959
Trump made the remark at a midterm election rally in Fort Myers, Florida, on Friday. “We may do another little Epic Fury,” he said, according to Reuters. “Operation Epic Fury” is the name the US military uses for its war against Iran, launched in late February. News18 quoted him as adding that Iran might instead agree to a deal: “If they’re smart, they will just say, ‘Let’s get down to business.’ But I doubt they will do that.” Trump gave no indication of timing.
Earlier on Friday, Trump said the US could end the war quickly, but questioned whether Washington should seek a swift conclusion or let the conflict gradually wind down, Reuters reported. Earlier this month, he said the US would not launch an attack on Iran before the November 3 midterm elections, in which control of Congress is at stake.
His comments followed remarks by Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey, who told podcast host Mario Nawfal during a visit to the Gulf that a strike on Iran that weekend was “absolutely” possible. Asked about Barrack’s comments, Trump told reporters: “That was my ambassador? He’s a pretty powerful man, I guess. If that’s the case, I don’t know anything about it.”
Several reports point to preparations for renewed strikes. NPR, citing a person briefed on the plans, reported that the US and Israel were planning for a possible attack on Iran after the midterms. It said the US is sending a third aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, to the Middle East, that Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth made a low-key visit to Israel this week to meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and that some State Department staff and family members were leaving Saudi Arabia.
Al-Monitor reported that neither side had carried out major attacks on land-based targets since early September, with fighting settling into strikes on commercial shipping as the US enforces a blockade of Iranian ports and Iran tries to control the Strait of Hormuz. Jason Campbell of the Middle East Institute told the outlet there had been “recent signs that renewed strikes may be in the offing”, but that the timing was “impossible to predict”.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday that his country was prepared for both diplomacy and war, NPR reported. The prospect of escalation has already rattled markets, with NPR noting that Brent crude traded at US$114 a barrel on Friday, the highest level since May.
US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands of people and displaced millions since the war began, according to Reuters, while higher fuel prices have become a growing issue ahead of the US elections.
Source: BRICS News on X, Reuters, News18, NPR and Al-Monitor.
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