US military readies renewed Iran strikes as Trump weighs options after midterms

US Central Command has reportedly prepared options for renewed strikes on Iran, with joint US-Israeli plans also reported for after the 3 November midterms, as a third carrier group and about 10,000 more troops head to the region. Iran has announced an "offensive" doctrine, threatened undersea cables and states hosting US bases, and ship attacks near Hormuz have hit a wartime high, though no attack order has been given and talks remain possible. A widening war drawing in Israel, Iran, the Gulf states and the United States is the kind of regional escalation that could harden into a wider conflict, but this remains a signpost, not a fulfilment.