Two days before Americans head to the polls, a new report says the next phase of the Iran war may already be waiting on the other side of Election Day.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pressing President Donald Trump to strike Iran immediately after Tuesday’s midterm elections, according to Axios, which cited one Israeli source and one U.S. source. The two leaders spoke by phone on Saturday about the state of U.S. negotiations with Iran and how quickly to return to combat.
The Israeli source described the call as “tough.” The U.S. source called it “direct.” The White House and the Israeli prime minister’s office declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal first reported that the call took place but did not describe what was said.
Trump says he’s “not in much of a hurry”
According to the report, Trump for now wants to let negotiations play out, a strategy Netanyahu is said to be concerned about.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Trump said talks with Iran were “going fine” and that he was not “in much of a hurry.” He also said the Iranians “are not very reliable,” adding: “They make a deal and then they back out.”
At the same time, the president made clear that military options remain on the table. He said the U.S. still has to “take care” of one or two nuclear sites in Iran. “We can do that in 10 minutes. We have that planned. You can look at Pickaxe Mountain. We need to take care of that. We can do that very quickly,” Trump said, referring to a suspected nuclear site built into a mountain.
Two tracks: talks and war plans
Axios reports that, as he did before Operation Midnight Hammer in June 2025 and Operation Epic Fury in February, Trump is pursuing dual tracks: trying to reach a deal to restart peace talks while also preparing for a possible resumption of major combat operations after the midterms.
Last week, Vice President JD Vance sent a letter to Iran’s national security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, about the possibility of restarting negotiations, the most senior-level U.S. outreach to Iran in several months. Qatari mediators met with Iranian officials on Sunday for a third straight day in an effort to get direct U.S.-Iran talks back on track.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that there is no agreement yet and that a deal depends on the U.S. answering Iran’s questions. “We are making every effort in this regard and hope that the other side will demonstrate enough rationality to choose diplomacy over other paths,” he said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Saturday that Trump “hasn’t made a decision” on further strikes. “I have no announcement in that regard with you today, and nor do we take any of it lightly,” Rubio told reporters in Atlanta.
Why the timing matters
The question of when the fighting might resume has been tied to the election calendar for weeks. In mid-October, a White House official told Axios that “the President has said that we will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections.”
That pledge covers only the days before voters cast their ballots. With Netanyahu reportedly urging action as soon as the polls close, the decision on whether the U.S. returns to major combat in Iran could land just as the votes are being counted.