Iran-US War: Ahead of US midterm polls, Israel elections day, Donald Trump threatens another likely military operation 'little epic fury' against Tehran

US President Donald Trump said today that Washington may carry out another military operation against Iran at a time when the war is nearing its eight month mark and as rise in fuel prices weigh on the US midterm elections. Earlier on Friday, Iran's foreign minister said that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian will travel to Russia next week to meet President Vladimir Putin.

"We may do another little Epic Fury," Trump said in remarks at a rally in Florida as he spoke about the war. He did not elaborate. "Operation Epic Fury" is the name used by the US military for its war against Iran.

Earlier on Friday, Trump said the US could end the war quickly but questioned whether Washington should seek a swift conclusion or allow the conflict to gradually wind down.


Trump, who has offered shifting goals and timelines for the war, said earlier this month that the US would not launch an attack on Iran before the midterm elections in which control of Congress is up for grab.

US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions.

US Envoy Warning

The United States could strike Iran as soon as this weekend, a US envoy said Friday, after mounting threats by both Washington and Israel. "Could there be a strike this weekend? Absolutely," Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkey and point man on Syria who does not have a direct role on Iran, told Israeli army radio in response to a question.

President Donald Trump "is very clear. He's open and available and accessible to a deal and we've been at the table for months and months and months," Barrack said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces elections on Tuesday, in recent days has repeatedly vowed to topple the clerical state in Iran, following two major bombing campaigns against Iran since last year.

Trump has also signalled an openness to resuming strikes on Iran after a long deadlock in diplomacy although he earlier said it would not happen before US congressional elections on November 3.

Iran's Counter Plan

Tehran has drawn up detailed plans to target undersea communications cables in the Gulf if the United States and Israel attack Iran again, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters.

Their comments followed warnings by Iranian officials that undersea cables in the region could become targets in any renewed conflict if diplomacy with Washington collapses.

The two Iranian security officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, gave few details and did not say how or where exactly Tehran would carry out such attacks. But one of them said Iran would aim to prevent repairs after any attacks to prolong disruptions to communications, including internet connections.

"If Iran is attacked, there will be no more red lines ... from undersea cables to military bases, including covert ones," one of the officials said. The official warned Washington not to "play with fire", and said Iran had full access to the undersea cables and could easily destroy them.

Yadollah Javani, the deputy head of political affairs for Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), said on Wednesday that Iran could target seven major internet cables beneath the Strait of Hormuz if Iranian infrastructure came under attack.

Undersea cables carry around 99 per cent of global internet traffic, according to the International Telecommunication Union, a UN agency. But the global impact of such attacks by Iran could be limited as less than 1 per cent of international bandwidth passes through the Strait of Hormuz, said Alan Mauldin, research director at telecommunications research firm TeleGeography. The strait separates Iran and Oman, linking the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea.