The Pentagon has instructed US Central Command to complete preparations for resuming major combat operations against Iran, according to a report citing US officials. The directive was issued several days ago, and both US and Israeli sources indicate the strikes could take place before the US midterm elections on 3 November — and possibly even before Israeli elections scheduled a week earlier.

Scope of Potential Operations

According to the sources, potential combat operations include massive bombing campaigns targeting Iranian energy infrastructure, civilian and industrial infrastructure, and nuclear facilities. The scale described suggests a significant escalation beyond any previous engagement in what has already been a grinding conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran.

Notably, the reported timing — less than a month before the midterms — has drawn attention to the intersection of military action and domestic politics. The ongoing war with Iran has already driven gas prices sharply higher, pushing up costs across sectors including shipping, trucking, air travel, and food supply chains.

Trump's Approval and the Voter Mood

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Monday showed US President Donald Trump's approval rating holding at a record low of 32 per cent — unchanged from a September survey that had already marked the lowest point of his political career. Cost of living ranks as the single biggest concern among American voters heading into next month's elections, with many reportedly blaming the Republican party, which holds power, for the economic strain.

This comes amid a broader context in which US administrations have historically faced accusations of using military posturing or action to shift the political narrative before elections — a dynamic that opposition voices and analysts are already raising in the current cycle.

Iran's Military Doctrine Shift

On the other side of the conflict, Iranian Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia stated in an interview with the semi-official Fars news agency, published on Wednesday, that Iran is prepared to carry out preemptive military operations if necessary to prevent what he described as 'aggression by the enemy.'

Akraminia said Iran has formally shifted its military doctrine from defensive to offensive, citing this posture as the basis for recent operations. Among those he highlighted was a missile strike against a US base in Jordan in late July, which he described as preemptive, along with multiple missile and drone attacks against what he called 'counter-revolutionary and separatist' groups operating from Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

'My assessment is that the Americans will not dare launch a ground invasion,' Akraminia said, ruling out a land offensive while adding that Iran's armed forces have resolved to extend the range of their missiles in light of the ongoing conflict.

He stressed that preemptive operations carried out under principles of 'necessity, urgency, and proportionality' are considered legitimate under Iran's current military framework.

What Comes Next

With the midterm elections on 3 November and Israeli elections a week prior, the coming weeks represent a critical window in which either side could act. Markets, energy prices, and diplomatic back-channels will all be closely watched. Any escalation involving Iranian nuclear or energy infrastructure would carry consequences well beyond the immediate conflict zone, affecting global oil supply and broader geopolitical alignments.