Israel has asked the United States to allow it to target Iran's energy facilities, which have so far been left undamaged, if the attack on the Islamic Republic resumes. Israel's public broadcaster Kan reported this on Friday, 30 October 2026, citing an Israeli source. According to the source, Tel Aviv hopes Donald Trump will expand the list of targets to infrastructure, especially the energy sector.
Meanwhile, ten US military transport aircraft that had taken off from Fort Bliss in Texas landed at the Ovda and Nevatim air bases in the Negev desert in southern Israel. Other military aircraft have also flown to bases in Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. US officials have not confirmed these movements, and the aircraft's cargo is unclear.
A new Patriot and more warships
According to The Wall Street Journal, the US military is moving another Patriot air defence system to Israel to strengthen the country's missile defences. The Pentagon has sent air defence equipment and munitions to the Middle East and has moved some of its forces away from bases it considers vulnerable. Kan says another aircraft carrier and a Marine unit will join the roughly 20 US warships in the region in November.
These moves come a day after Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of CENTCOM, presented military options against the Islamic Republic to Trump at the White House. Speaking at a campaign rally in Rock Hill, South Carolina, on Thursday night, Trump said the war would be over "very, very soon", but gave no timeframe. His vice president, JD Vance, also told Fox News that Trump would not let the war become endless.
Washington's earlier stance on energy infrastructure
The United States has so far opposed attacks on Iran's energy facilities. In March, the Trump administration asked Israel to stop striking these facilities, and in July this year Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Washington would not approve such an attack because of concerns about Islamic Republic attacks on its neighbours and a global oil crisis.
The oil market has also reacted to the news: a barrel of Brent crude was trading at around $116 on Friday. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed on Thursday that several tankers had hit mines in the Strait of Hormuz; DIAR earlier reported a fire on a ship in the strait. The dismissal of General Brett Sylvia, a senior Pentagon planner, also made headlines in recent days.
Israel has asked for permission to strike Iran's energy facilities, and the US is sending aircraft and Patriot air defences to the region.
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