# US tells Gulf allies to prepare for short, intense Iran strikes after 3 November midterms; Iran says 3 tankers hit mines Source: Searchable (https://searchable.pk/news/world/us-tells-gulf-allies-to-prepare-for-short-intense-iran-strikes-after-3-november) Type: News article Author: Searchable Editorial Published: 29 Oct 2026 Updated: 29 Oct 2026 Retrieved: 30 Oct 2026 > Two diplomats told AP the warning went to regional allies; the Wall Street Journal says a carrier group, Marines and a Patriot battery are moving. Iran's IRGC says three tankers struck mines in Hormuz, which US Central Command calls false. What it means for oil, petrol and Pakistanis in the Gulf. **US officials have told Gulf allies to prepare for a possible renewal of strikes on Iran after the US midterm elections on 3 November**, two diplomats told the Associated Press, as reported on [CBS News' live page](https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/iran-war-donald-trump-qatar-mediators-new-proposal-end-war/) on Wednesday 28 October. President Donald Trump has not made a final decision, they said. **The Wall Street Journal reported** that Gulf countries were told to expect a **short but intense campaign** lasting several days, and that the US is moving a Patriot air-defence system from Texas to Israel, restocking munitions and adding a carrier strike group and a Marine unit to the region, according to [Fox News' live coverage](https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/us-iran-war-trump-military-options-strait-hormuz-10-29-26) of the report. Regional officials expect Iranian and proxy retaliation to last longer than the strikes themselves, AP's sources said. Asked late on 27 October about strikes after the midterms, Trump said: "I can't tell you that... but anything's possible," Fox News reported. ## Iran says three tankers hit mines; US says that is false On Thursday 29 October, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said **three oil tankers exploded and caught fire after hitting naval mines** on what it called the "unauthorized southern route" of the Strait of Hormuz, and blamed their owners and crews, CBS reported. The UK Maritime Trade Operations centre (UKMTO) logged a report from a ship's master of **a burning vessel about 9 nautical miles north of Khasab, Oman**; the crew's condition was not known. **US Central Command (CENTCOM) had called Iranian media claims of ships hitting mines "FALSE"** on 28 October and said the main transit routes have been cleared. IRGC spokesman Brig. Gen. Hossein Mohebi told CENTCOM to "prove" that with independent evidence. The US urges shippers to use the southern lane, which Trump declared mine-free in late August; Iran says ships must use the routes it controls near its own coast. Neither side has named the tankers, and the claims have not been independently confirmed. ## Talks: a 7-day plan and a Qatari draft Qatari mediators gave Iran a new draft deal to end the war, Reuters reported. A senior Iranian official denied that a new proposal had been made and called Qatar's ideas "unacceptable". Foreign Minister **Abbas Araghchi** said on Thursday that Iran "continues to give diplomacy a chance" and is reviewing ways to carry out its own **7-Day Plan**, which we covered this morning: [Iran's 7-day plan to end the war and reopen Hormuz](/news/world/iran-says-it-is-discussing-with-mediators-a-7-day-plan-to-end-the-war-and-reopen). Trump has rejected the plan's ceasefire-first approach. Iran says the US must lift its blockade of Iranian ports before talks. ## What it means for Pakistan - **Oil and petrol:** Brent crude was about **$101.57 a barrel** on 29 October, Business Recorder's market data showed. Any new fighting around Hormuz pushes that up, and PSO's ex-depot Karachi petrol price, already **Rs 377.91 a litre** on 29 October, follows it. Track it on our [petrol price page](/data/petrol-price) and cost your monthly fuel with the [fuel cost calculator](/tools/cars/fuel-cost-calculator). - **Pakistanis in the Gulf:** millions of Pakistanis live and work in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait. Keep your embassy's helpline and your employer's emergency contacts saved, and follow your host government's instructions. - **Remittances:** money sent home from the Gulf is the biggest share of Pakistan's remittances; a longer war could hit jobs there. ## Frequently asked questions **Will the US strike Iran again after the midterms?** US officials told Gulf allies to prepare for possible short, intense strikes after the 3 November 2026 midterms, AP and the Wall Street Journal reported, but President Trump has not made a final decision. ## Sources - Live updates: Iran war, Qatar mediators, tankers and mines (28 to 29 Oct 2026) (CBS News): https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/iran-war-donald-trump-qatar-mediators-new-proposal-end-war/ - US-Iran war live: military options, Strait of Hormuz (29 Oct 2026) (Fox News): https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/us-iran-war-trump-military-options-strait-hormuz-10-29-26 - U.S. Warns Gulf of Possible Short, Intense Renewal of Iran War After Midterms (The Wall Street Journal): https://www.wsj.com/world/middle-east/u-s-warns-gulf-of-possible-short-intense-renewal-of-iran-war-after-midterms-cd1a55e1 - Market data, 29 Oct 2026 (Brent and petrol) (Business Recorder): https://www.brecorder.com/news/40446528/pakistan-inflation-reading-projected-in-range-of-95-105-for-october-2026 How to cite: "US tells Gulf allies to prepare for short, intense Iran strikes after 3 November midterms; Iran says 3 tankers hit mines", Searchable, 29 Oct 2026, https://searchable.pk/news/world/us-tells-gulf-allies-to-prepare-for-short-intense-iran-strikes-after-3-november