Trump Threatens Another Iran Military Operation as US Reports Tehran Stepping Up Plots on American Officials
US President Donald Trump has said Washington may carry out another Iran military operation, as American intelligence reported that Tehran has sharply stepped up efforts to target US officials across the Middle East.
Speaking at a campaign rally in Fort Myers, Florida, on Friday, Trump said: “We may do another little Epic Fury,” using the US military’s own term for its war on Iran. He did not elaborate.
The remarks came as the Iran war nears its eight-month mark and rising fuel prices weigh on the US midterm elections, due on November 3. Trump said the United States could end the war quickly but questioned whether Washington should seek a swift conclusion or let the conflict wind down gradually, adding that the war would end soon, “one way or the other.” He also said the US would not launch an attack on Iran before the elections, which will decide control of Congress.
US intelligence warns of advanced Iranian plots
Axios reported that US intelligence had found Iran stepping up efforts to target American officials in the Middle East and other countries, with lethal plots reaching advanced stages.
The report cited a one-page, unclassified memo dated October 23 from Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which said the information was relevant to more personnel than were currently cleared to see it. The memo did not name targets, countries outside the Middle East, or the nature of the plots.
The intelligence has been shared with senior State Department staff, and Clayton offered to downgrade it so Rubio could share it more widely. A US official told the outlet the intelligence was one reason Washington was reducing embassy personnel in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Qatar and Jordan, a move first reported by CNN.
Trump turns to Cuba and domestic promises
Trump used the 90-minute Florida speech to vow he would address US concerns about Cuba once the Iran war was settled, a message aimed at Cuban American voters, who backed him heavily in 2024. He joked that American naval forces returning from Iran would stop off the Cuban coast and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio would “finish up the deal.”
With an eye on older voters in Florida, Trump also promised $250 million to hire at least 5,000 new nurses in elder care facilities across America.
Tankers hit mines near Strait of Hormuz
Separately, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that two tankers struck naval mines while attempting to use what they described as an “unauthorised route” south of the Strait of Hormuz, according to Iranian state media.
The strait, which separates Iran and Oman and links the Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea, carries a large share of the world’s oil shipments. Any disruption there pushes up crude prices and feeds inflation in importing countries, including Pakistan.
What a new Iran military operation would mean for Pakistan
The fresh threats land as Pakistan plays a central mediating role between Washington and Tehran. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has been in Islamabad for talks, while US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were expected to travel to the Pakistani capital for negotiations mediated by Islamabad, as Feature Pakistan reported.
Pakistan has also backed the Islamabad memorandum on de-escalation, which drew support from regional powers at meetings in Istanbul this week, as reported here. Trump’s earlier “Epic Fury” remarks and the course of the eight-month war were covered in our earlier report, and Iran’s separate threats against Gulf undersea cables in this report.
Any new American operation against Iran would likely push oil prices higher again, adding to inflationary pressure in Pakistan, which is already coping with record LPG prices and costly energy imports.
Frequently asked questions
What did Trump say about another operation against Iran?
At a Florida rally on October 23, Trump said the US “may do another little Epic Fury,” the military’s term for its war on Iran, while adding that no attack would come before the November 3 midterm elections.
What has US intelligence said about Iranian plots?
Axios reported, citing an October 23 memo from intelligence chief Jay Clayton to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, that Iran had sharply stepped up efforts to target American officials in the Middle East, with lethal plots at advanced stages.
Why is the Strait of Hormuz important?
The strait links the Gulf to the Arabian Sea and carries a large share of global oil shipments. Disruptions there raise crude prices and fuel inflation in importing countries such as Pakistan.
