The Pentagon told US Central Command (CENTCOM) several days ago to conclude preparations for resuming major combat operations in Iran, Axios reported on Wednesday.

US President Donald Trump hasn’t made any final decisions or included a specific date for launching strikes, but the US and Israeli sources said it could happen before the US midterm elections and possibly the Israeli elections a week earlier. A White House official stated that Trump has all options available at any time.

Earlier Wednesday, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said that its response to US proposals will be delivered through intermediaries, while announcing progress with Oman on establishing safe shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz.

Meanwhile, the Saudi-led coalition says it retaliated against the Houthis, saying the attacks “will not go unpunished.” The coalition said on Wednesday that it had attacked more than 80 Houthi military sites across the governorates of Saada, Hodeidah, Jawf and Marib.

On Wednesday, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) stated that a tanker was struck by multiple projectiles north of Qatar, with casualties reported. UKMTO said it received a report of the incident about 51 nautical miles (94 kilometers) north of Madinat ash Shamal, Qatar, at around 19:00 GMT.

Market reaction

At the time of writing, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) is down 1.05% on the day at $88.25.