According to The New York Times, the US and Israeli militaries have drawn up plans for a short, intensive operation after the US midterm elections, targeting Iran's energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities and missile and drone arsenal. US War Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week to discuss possible renewed strikes. Trump has reportedly considered using the 22,000-pound GBU-43/B “Mother of All Bombs” against the deeply buried Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site, though experts doubt it could destroy the site. In response, the IRGC warned it would show the US a “Father of All Bombs” without giving details, while US forces are expected to be fully in place by early November, though timing could slip given Trump's pledge not to strike before the midterms. Strikes between February and April had already pushed up global energy prices and inflation.
Summary written by Upside AI from the original article. Read the source for full details.
Read the original on iranherald.com ↗
Keywords
Open a keyword to see other news on the same topic.
Related tickers and likely impact
XAU/USD
▲ Likely positiveRelevance: medium
| Market | Gold |
|---|---|
| Close on 10/21/2026 | 4,141.17 |
| Change that session | +0.39% |
QQQ
▼ Likely negativeInvesco QQQ Trust
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | ETF |
| Close on 10/21/2026 | 725.20 |
| Change that session | +1.05% |
SPY
▼ Likely negativeSPDR S&P 500 ETF
Relevance: medium
| Market | US stocks |
|---|---|
| Sector | ETF |
| Close on 10/21/2026 | 773.09 |
| Change that session | +0.53% |
Impact is scored by AI from the headline and may be wrong. It is not investment advice.
Related news
- US and Israel develop plans to attack Iran after the midterms
The New York Times reports that the US and Israel have drawn up new plans to strike Iran again after the US midterm elections, with targets including nuclear facilities, Iran's energy infrastructure, and missile and drone arsenals. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly met Netanyahu secretly at an Israeli base to discuss the strikes, and the State Department ordered nonessential embassy staff to leave Saudi Arabia amid possible Houthi attacks. Trump has so far refused to restart the bombing campaign that ended in April, and his approval rating has fallen to about 34%, the lowest of his term, as the war remains unpopular. Iran has vowed to respond in kind, possibly targeting data centers or undersea internet cables, while Israel's upcoming election adds uncertainty. U.S. forces will not be fully deployed at the desired levels until next month.
- Iran says 7 tankers damaged in Strait of Hormuz , and other Mideast news
- U . S . and Israel Planning to Ramp Up Iran War Again
According to the NYT, U.S. and Israeli militaries have drawn up specific plans for renewed strikes on Iran after the U.S. midterm elections on November 3, citing U.S. officials and others briefed on the deliberations. Targets would likely include Iran's energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenal, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel to discuss the strikes. Some officials argue one more big round of attacks could push Iran's economy to the brink and force diplomatic concessions, but the article questions this, noting that the first phase of U.S.-Israeli strikes between February and April drove up energy prices and inflation worldwide, eroded Middle East security and strained the Pentagon's interceptor supply. President Trump has repeatedly vetoed plans for major combat this year, and Iran has vowed to expand its targets to data centers and undersea internet cables.
- World shares retreat as report of damage to oil takers pushes oil prices higher
World shares and U.S. futures fell on Thursday as oil prices rose more than 2% after Iran's state television reported that seven oil tankers caught fire and were damaged in the Strait of Hormuz. If verified, it would be the largest number of vessels damaged in the waterway in a single day since the Iran war began on Feb. 28. Brent crude rose 3.2% to $112.27 a barrel, having traded between $97 and $112 recently amid uncertainty about when the global energy industry will return to normal. Asian markets slid, with Japan's Nikkei 225 down 2.7% and South Korea's Kospi down 3.5%, hit by selling in big tech and memory chip makers, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng lost 3%. Germany's DAX and France's CAC 40 also fell in early European trading.
- US weighs fresh strikes on Iran ; Tehran warns of
The US and Israel have reportedly drawn up plans for renewed strikes on Iran after the midterm elections, targeting the country's energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenal, according to The New York Times. Both militaries have stepped up exercises, and US War Secretary Pete Hegseth met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week to discuss the potential strikes. Iran has threatened to unveil a weapon it calls the “Father of All Bombs” but has not provided details. The report said Trump has considered using the 22,000-pound MOAB against the Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site, though he has not made a final decision, and Washington may be using the threat as leverage in talks over Iran's nuclear programme and the Strait of Hormuz.
- US weighs fresh strikes on Iran ; Tehran warns of
According to The New York Times, the U.S. and Israel have drawn up plans for a short but intensive operation against Iran's energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenal, to be launched after the midterm elections. Both militaries have stepped up exercises, and U.S. forces are expected to be fully deployed by early November, including aircraft carriers, Marines, fighter jets and Special Operations forces. Tehran has threatened to unveil a weapon it calls the “Father of All Bombs” but has given no details. The report says Washington may be using the threat as leverage in talks over Iran's nuclear programme and the Strait of Hormuz, while Iranian officials warn any new conflict would be neither quick nor limited and could extend to data centres and underwater internet cables. Mahdi Mohammadi, a senior adviser to Iran's negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has also rejected the prospect of a swift end to renewed hostilities.
Related markets
Latest news
- Cardano holders are being asked to bet $5 million on copper hitting a new record
Toto Finance is asking Cardano's treasury for 22 million ADA, about $5 million, to buy and tokenize copper, with voting closing Nov. 15. About two-thirds of the budget would buy copper stored in a COMEX-approved warehouse for 18 to 24 months before sale, while the rest covers storage, insurance, audits and Toto's work. If the full budget is spent and ADA's dollar price stays unchanged, copper would need to rise about 49.4% for the treasury to recover its investment, and there is no guarantee the treasury gets its original ADA back. Toto could receive up to 3.36 million ADA, roughly 15% of the request, and would keep its commercial rights to its tokenized-copper business. The proposal would use just over half of Cardano's remaining withdrawal allowance, which would not be replenished under existing rules.
- Bitcoin Core changes security policy as AI makes bugs easier to find
Bitcoin Core is changing its security disclosure policy because large language models have made some flaws easy to rediscover, so long embargoes offer little protection. Under the new policy, vulnerabilities deemed easily discoverable will be fixed as soon as possible across all maintained major versions, with security advisories published alongside the updates. Other flaws will follow severity-based schedules: low-severity bugs will be disclosed two weeks after the fix is released, while medium and high-severity bugs will be disclosed two weeks after the last affected release reaches End of Life, typically a year after the fix. The change follows a volunteer Bitcoin Red Team report of nearly 5,000 potential issues across 390 projects in August, though only about a fifth had been reproduced at that point.
- Asia FX steadies as oil surge weighs on risk appetite, yen holds gains
Asian currencies and the U.S. dollar were largely subdued on Friday as investors weighed rising energy costs and geopolitical tensions, while the yen held its gains after a safe-haven rally tied to concerns over global growth and tech valuations. The U.S. Dollar Index was flat at 101.60 by 03:33 GMT, near a three-week low and on track for a second straight weekly loss. USD/JPY edged up 0.1% to 156.90 after a nearly 1% drop in the previous session, as the yen reached its highest level in more than a month. Brent crude near $114 a barrel, after a 4% jump on Thursday following attacks in Saudi Arabia, raises inflation risks for energy importers such as Japan, India and South Korea. The Indian rupee extended its losses, with USD/INR up 0.3% to 95.109, while the yuan hovered near four-year lows; the Fed is expected to hold rates at 3.75%-4.00% on October 28, with ECB and BoJ decisions due on October 29 and 30.
- Securities firm with the heaviest loss in the sector in Q3 2026 revealed
APG Securities (APG) posted a pre-tax loss of nearly 108 billion VND in Q3 2026, compared with a profit of nearly 20 billion VND a year earlier, the largest loss among securities firms that have reported Q3 results. Revenue fell 21% to nearly 69 billion VND and gains from FVTPL financial assets dropped 93%, while operating expenses rose to nearly 124 billion VND, mainly due to a 119 billion VND loss on FVTPL assets. Financial expenses rose nearly 33% to 43.5 billion VND, mostly interest costs. For the first nine months, APG recorded a pre-tax loss of nearly 105 billion VND, against a profit of over 28 billion VND a year earlier, putting its 2026 pre-tax profit target of 20 billion VND under pressure.
- IonQ vs. Rigetti Computing: Which Quantum Computing Stock Is the Better Buy?
The article compares quantum computing companies IonQ (ion-based) and Rigetti Computing (superconducting). Rigetti reported Q2 revenue of $5.1 million, up from $1.8 million in 2025, but an operating loss of $28.1 million, and held $541.3 million in cash and investments; it also received a $100 million award from the U.S. Department of Commerce. IonQ posted Q2 revenue of $80.1 million and forecasts 2026 sales of $280–290 million versus $130 million in 2025, though its Q2 operating loss widened to $337.2 million from $160.6 million, and the Elisity deal involves stock valued at up to $1.3 billion. The author judges IonQ the better investment given its consistent revenue growth, says they bought IonQ shares, and notes Rigetti's price-to-sales ratio is more than six times IonQ's.
- Hoa Binh Construction dismisses a Deputy General Director
Hoa Binh Construction (HBC) dismissed Nguyen Kinh Luan from his position as Deputy General Director effective 1 November 2026, for personal reasons, and he will remain a Board member. Earlier, on 15 September 2026, Mr. Luan resigned from all his positions at the company and related entities. Separately, on 18 September 2026, the company distributed more than 51.4 million shares to 99 creditors to swap debt of nearly VND 514.2 billion, equal to 100% of the shares issued. The swapped shares are restricted from transfer for one year and are expected to be delivered within 30 days after the issuance closes.
Get the briefing on Telegram or Zalo
Join the Upside Telegram channel or Zalo group for the Vietnam stocks and gold briefing at 8:00 and 19:00 (Vietnam time) on trading days, plus a weekly wrap on Saturday morning.