While Trump has not made a final decision, US officials have warned several Gulf Arab states to prepare for a “short, intense” military campaign and potential Iranian retaliation after the Nov 3 midterm elections, according to the Journal and the Associated Press. US forces in the region are prepared to launch major strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, energy infrastructure and military sites within 96 hours of receiving an order from Trump, CNN reported, citing two US officials. As part of the buildup, the Pentagon has pulled troops from vulnerable Middle East bases and sent C-17 transport flights from Fort Bliss in Texas to southern Israel to deliver an additional Patriot missile defense system.

Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said Thursday after receiving a detailed intelligence briefing that the administration’s war plan is “insane,” warning that potential strikes involving civilian infrastructure would fail to achieve their objectives and trigger “devastating escalation and the likely destruction of our commitment to the rule of law.” Diplomatic efforts by regional mediators have struggled to gain traction even as Saudi Arabia urged the White House to allow more time for talks. Iran’s IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency dismissed an Al Arabiya report that Tehran offered via Pakistan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for lifting the US naval blockade as “lies and fantasy,” and a senior Iranian official told Reuters that a separate Qatari-mediated proposal trading UN nuclear inspections for partial sanctions relief contained “unacceptable ideas.”