NYT: U.S. military has a plan ready to strike Iran as early as Wednesday, the day after the midterms

U.S. Central Command has a plan ready to strike Iran as early as Wednesday, once the midterm elections are over, The New York Times reported Tuesday, citing officials. Three American aircraft carriers are in the region. The timing has a practical side, according to the report: one of the carriers has to head back to port after early November, and planners prefer the moonless nights of early November for an operation.

No decision has been announced. Some officials are urging Trump to stay with the naval blockade and sanctions around the Strait of Hormuz instead, the Times reports, while others argue that only strikes will move Iran.

The report comes a day after U.S. jets hit Iranian missile sites on Qeshm Island in what officials called a defensive strike, and on the same day the Times reported that Israel is warning Washington that Iran may be weighing chemical weapons.