President Donald Trump, reportedly humiliated by a war he can't end, has his Pentagon drawing up strike options to use before the midterms.
The White House has directed military planners to prepare attacks on Iranian targets that could be carried out ahead of the November 3 elections, two administration officials told The Atlantic in a report published Wednesday. U.S. Central Command is putting the plans together, though officials said no final decision has been made on how large the strikes would be, what they would hit or whether they'll happen at all.
Trump has been openly angry over how long the conflict has dragged on, now nearing eight months, and people close to him believe he feels "privately humiliated" that he hasn't been able to wrap it up, according to The Atlantic.
Supporters of the plan concede a limited round of strikes wouldn't force Tehran into talks, reopen the Strait of Hormuz or bring down gas prices before voters head to the polls. However, they believe that the plan has a political upside.
A Republican familiar with the discussions said, "It would make the president look like he got a win and that gas prices would start going down."
Critics see it differently. Will Walldorf, a Wake Forest University international affairs professor and senior fellow at Defense Priorities, told The Atlantic that "military action has done nothing to drive down oil prices; in fact, it has done the opposite."
"And if this is an attempt to rally the Republican vote, how does that make any sense given how unpopular this war is?" he added.
Trump's own advisers reportedly believe any renewed strikes should wait until after the election. The president himself has floated that timeline, telling Time magazine that "we've been stocking up for the last six months." Last week, he predicted a U.S. victory soon after the vote before adding, "Maybe before the election."
A White House official told The Atlantic that Trump "has all options available at any time," adding that "things will go one of two ways; the easy way or the hard way."
Iran may already be bracing, per The Atlantic. One adviser told the outlet, "Iran is watching the calendar and knows the election is coming."