Officials in Tehran are preparing for renewed strikes

following media reports that the United States and Israel have been examining new options for escalating their war against Iran.

The US midterm elections on November 3 and Israel's October 27 election have injected a political factor into how both countries are approaching the conflict, which they launched in late February.

Polls show that high energy prices brought on by the Iran war are hurting Donald Trump's Republican Party. On October 8, the president posted on social media that the United States would not attack Iran before the midterms, citing "productive discussions" with Tehran.…