US forces in Middle East ready to launch ‘a big effort’ in Iran after November midterm elections: Report

The US is preparing for renewed strikes on Iran after the November midterm elections are over, a report by CNN on October 26 claimed.US President Donald Trump arrives to the stage for a midterm campaign rally at Lubbock Memorial Civic Center in Lubbock, Texas on October 27. (AFP)The report cited two US officials who said that sufficient forces have been deployed in the Middle East and that they are ready to start an operation on Iran within four days of receiving a nod from Trump.The officials described the potential strikes as "a big effort" that will differ from the current Washington tactic of striking infrastructure in Iran that can be rebuilt within a short time. This strategy has been in place since full operations were stopped earlier this year.Questions remain on whether Donald Trump will greenlight the attack. Some of the US officials cited in the report said it's more a question of when, not if, Trump will give his nod to the operation. Most of the sources, however, agree that the operation will be launched after the November midterms.Iran war headache for Trump ahead of midtermsPolls in the US show that Donald Trump is experiencing an unprecedented drop in approval ahead of the midterm elections in November. And the primary reason behind it seems to be the backlash over the economic impacts of the US operation in Iran.Also read: Trump’s Arab allies fighting each other before new Iran war? Signal to US after Mojtaba's 'victory'?A Reuters/Ipsos poll on Monday, October 26, showed Trump's approval ratings stand at 32% - slightly better than the historic low of 31% last week. A Pew Research Centre survey separately found that around 65% of Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of the Iran conflict.Trump appears to be unfazed by it, saying at a rally in Lubbock, Texas, Tuesday that the Iran war will end "whenever I want. "“Somebody asked me before, ‘When will the war in Iran end?’ I said, ‘Whenever I want it to end,’” Trump said at the rally. He claimed that the war needs to be ended properly” with a “total statement," he said.Israel nudging Trump to attack Iran againIsrael is keen to relaunch a joint operation with the US on Iran, and talks are reportedly underway between the two parties about it. Earlier this month, Axios reported that Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu has been pressuring Trump to launch strikes, but Washington is still deliberating on it.Also read: Trump says ‘never liked’ Pakistan-brokered Iran peace deal, Tehran hits backThe same was also confirmed to CNN by US officials cited in the October 26 report who said that the Trump administration has requested that the attacks be delayed. An Israeli official, who also spoke to the outlet, said that Netanyahu tried to convince Trump into a joint attack before the elections in Israel, but Trump did not cave.“Netanyahu really wanted and tried to convince Trump for a joint attack in Iran before the elections, and Trump did not give a green light,” the source said.As of October 28, the war in the Middle East has costed the US over $47 billion.