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Damage from airstrikes in late March and early April remains visible at a mosque in Shahabieh village near Khomein, southwest of Tehran, Iran, on Oct. 15 (local time). / AP-Yonhap

The United States and Israel have drawn up specific plans to resume airstrikes against Iran after next month's U.S. midterm elections, The New York Times (NYT) reported on Oct. 21 (local time), citing U.S. officials and sources familiar with the matter.

The U.S. and Israeli militaries have recently conducted attack maneuver drills with fighter jets over Iraq as they prepare for a short, intensive military operation.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth recently met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel to discuss new airstrike plans, according to U.S. officials.

The targets are likely to include Iran's energy infrastructure, nuclear facilities, and missile and drone arsenals.

Some officials predicted that a large-scale attack could push Iran's economy to the brink and force the country to make diplomatic concessions.

There are also skeptical views about additional strikes. The airstrikes against Iran conducted from late February to April drove up global energy prices, fueled inflation and weakened security in the Middle East. They also placed a strain on the U.S. Department of Defense's stockpile of missile interceptors.

It also remains uncertain whether U.S. President Donald Trump will approve the airstrikes. He has rejected plans to resume large-scale combat operations several times this year. Earlier this month, he also blocked an attack for which the U.S. and Israeli militaries had nearly completed preparations.

Iranian officials warned that this time they would expand their retaliatory targets beyond commercial ships and regional energy infrastructure to include data centers and undersea internet cables.

                                                                                                             Kim Hyun-min