The US director of national intelligence warned that Iran was in the “advanced stages” of planning attacks against American officials abroad, prompting personnel evacuations and heightening the risk of a return to all-out war.
US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he is weighing military action to “finish it off,” while Tehran warned that American strikes wouldn’t alter its position.
With US and Israeli elections looming, domestic political pressures are factoring into military planning.
If defeated Tuesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “could decide to launch one last strike that he may believe his successor would hesitate to execute,” while Trump may want to demonstrate that “when it comes to his powers as commander in chief, his authority is undiminished,” The New York Times wrote.
— Lauren Morganbesser