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According to an October 21 report by The Financial Times, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a planned early-October military strike against Iran due to opposition from US President Donald Trump, who wanted to avoid escalating the conflict ahead of the US midterm elections on November 3.
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Citing three sources, the report details that the Israel Defense Forces had prepared to launch the offensive on October 10. The intended targets encompassed Iranian government institutions, nuclear sites, and civilian infrastructure, including energy facilities. The planned operation was reportedly designed to be more severe than the joint US-Israeli strikes conducted earlier this year in February.
Despite the cancellation, one source suggested it is "not an unreasonable assumption" that such an operation could be revived in the coming weeks, though it remains unclear whether the United States would participate. Both the Pentagon and the Israeli Prime Minister's Office declined to comment prior to publication.
This development follows earlier indications of Netanyahu pushing for military action. On October 13, Israeli sources noted that Netanyahu and Trump had held multiple recent discussions regarding a potential large-scale joint strike to take place before both the Israeli parliamentary and US midterm elections. However, Trump had previously stated on social media on October 8 that Washington and Tehran were engaged in "productive" consultations, explicitly ruling out a US attack before the November midterms.
Meanwhile, Iranian land forces spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia announced on October 16 that Iran has activated new military hardware. He asserted that the country's defensive capabilities are now significantly stronger than they were during the previous US-Israel-Iran war.
