Senior officials in Iran’s regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps told international media that Tehran genuinely believes Israel and the United States are about to resume the war, sooner than expected and by surprise.
According to the regime’s assessments, a series of signs in recent days points to a significantly higher chance of escalation and a return to fighting. Iranian officials cited the massive transfer of U.S. military equipment to the region over the past several weeks. They also claimed that Israel has increased its flights over Syria and Iraq and is conducting strike rehearsals.
The officials said Iran is determined to deny President Donald Trump a political achievement in the negotiations that could strengthen him ahead of the U.S. midterm elections. Trump, for his part, is fully prepared to return to fighting in order to force a quick Iranian climbdown, they said.
According to the same official, Iran has no intention of backing down, and under no circumstances will it allow Trump to rack up achievements before the elections.
“Iran is preparing for renewed Israeli and US attacks, not for a deal with America to end the war,” one senior official told Reuters. “The clerical establishment is determined not to give Trump a political victory.”
At one point, Trump said the U.S. will not bomb Iran again before the November 3 midterms. More recently, he said it's not impossible that the strikes could start before that.
