Source : BRICS NEWS
WASHINGTON, November 4, 2026 – Some officials in President Donald Trump’s administration are urging him to order new military strikes on Iran after Tuesday’s midterm elections, The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, as America’s Gulf allies prepare for a heavy US bombardment and the Iranian retaliation they fear would follow.
BRICS News highlighted the report in a post on X, writing: “US administration officials urge President Trump to launch new military strikes on Iran, WSJ reports.” According to a summary of the Journal’s report carried by the Arabic-language news site Youlyou, the paper described divisions inside the administration, with some officials pressing for an intensification of strikes while others favour continued diplomacy or keeping the current pressure in place.
The split has been reported before. Axios has reported that War Secretary Pete Hegseth is among those pushing for a resumption of military operations, arguing that Iran cannot be trusted to reach an agreement, let alone honour one, Xinhua said in a summary of that reporting. Vice President JD Vance and White House envoy Steve Witkoff are urging a diplomatic settlement, while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio favour keeping the “no war, no deal” status quo and the economic pressure campaign, according to Axios.
Mr Trump has kept his options open. He told the Financial Times on Tuesday that Washington had no immediate plans to strike but added: “I’m ready, we’re ready. We’re locked and loaded if we need to go, but there may be no reason for it,” according to Al Jazeera. On Fox & Friends he said: “A lot of people would like to do the heavy hit. A lot of people wouldn’t.” He later warned that he could finish the job if Iran did not agree to a binding deal, telling reporters: “Certainly if Iran doesn’t behave, I will. And if they do, you know, we can sign something up,” Fox News reported.
In a separate report, highlighted by BRICS News in an earlier post, the Journal said America’s Gulf allies were steeling themselves for a heavy US bombardment of Iran that they expect to trigger a cycle of retaliation against their own economic and civilian infrastructure. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have held security drills, including at airports, people attending a major energy conference in Abu Dhabi cut their visits short on government advice, and schools in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, were set to stay online this week amid attacks by the Houthis, Iran International reported, citing the Journal.
Some Arab countries have warned Tehran that they could retaliate individually or collectively if Iran targets their infrastructure, mediators told the newspaper. Anwar Gargash, a senior adviser to the UAE president, said his country hoped diplomacy would succeed but was “braced for the worst”. Asked about the reported US preparations, the White House declined to confirm or deny them, saying it does not comment on sensitive military plans and that Mr Trump was keeping all options on the table to ensure Iran never obtains a nuclear weapon, Philenews reported.
Tehran has issued its own warnings. Hamidreza Moghadamfar, an adviser to the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Iran would hit targets beyond US bases if Gulf states allowed Washington to launch attacks from their territory, naming the UAE and Bahrain, Al Jazeera reported. “Our responses will no longer be proportionate or commensurate,” he said, according to Iran’s state-run Press TV as cited by Fox News.
Diplomacy continues alongside the military build-up. Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said on Tuesday that Washington and Tehran were reviewing proposals to end the conflict, although differences remained, according to Xinhua. The Journal reported on Monday that US forces had struck targets on Iran’s Qeshm Island, which US officials described as defensive measures, while Gulf News said the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt was en route to the region.
Source: BRICS News on X
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