WASHINGTON/TEHRAN/LONDON –  The Pentagon instructed US Central Command several days ago to complete preparations for resuming major combat operations in Iran, news website Axios reported Wednesday, citing US officials.

US and Israeli sources said the strikes could take place before the US midterm elections, which will be held on Nov 3, and possibly before the Israeli elections a week earlier, the report said.

Potential combat operations include massive bombing campaigns targeting Iranian energy, infrastructure and nuclear facilities, according to the sources.

Less than a month before the US midterms, affordability is the biggest issue for voters, who are blaming Republicans, the party in power. The conflict in Iran has caused gas prices to surge, driving up costs across industries including shipping, trucking, air travel and food.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Monday showed that US President Donald Trump's approval rating remained at a record low of 32 percent, unchanged from a September poll that marked the lowest rating of his political career.

Preemptive strikes if needed

In an interview with the semi-official Fars news agency published on Wednesday, the Iranian Army's spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said if necessary, the country will carry out preemptive military operations to prevent any "aggression by the enemy".

Akraminia said the country has changed its military doctrine from being defensive to offensive and has followed it in the conflict with the United States and Israel.

He noted among the operations carried out by the Iranian armed forces based on the new doctrine were a missile strike against a US base in Jordan in late July, as well as several missile and drone attacks over the past months against the bases of the "counter-revolutionary and separatist" groups stationed in Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

He added the strike against the US base, which was preemptive, "wrested the initiative from them and left them unable to take any action".

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"In this war, we came to the conclusion that we must definitely increase the range of our missiles, and we have now embarked on that path," he noted, adding the reason is that the "enemy" has deployed its forces at a greater distance from Iran's coasts, up to 1,000 kilometers away, "and we will continue to upgrade these missiles."

Closing 'unauthorized routes' in Hormuz Strait

In an interview published on Tuesday night with state-run Al-Alam news channel, Mohammad-Reza Naqdi, advisor to the chief commander of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guard Corps, has said the country will soon close the routes created by "violators" in the Strait of Hormuz.

The senior Iranian military advisor said the Iranian armed forces have full control over it, stressing that this situation will continue unless Iran's "legitimate" demands are met.

He added that although the strait is closed, "some individuals use small vessels to smuggle oil and transfer it to oil tankers," emphasizing, "The few passages created by violators through the explosion or destruction of some rocky routes in the Strait of Hormuz will soon be closed."

Tanker hit by projectiles off northern Qatar

On Wednesday, A tanker was struck by multiple projectiles in waters off northern Qatar, with casualties reported, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said in a warning.

According to the UKMTO, the incident occurred about 51 nautical miles north of Madinat ash Shamal, Qatar. The tanker reported being struck by multiple projectiles.

The UKMTO did not provide further details on the casualties. It advised vessels to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to the agency. 

Putin, Pezeshkian vow to boost cooperation

In a phone call, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called for the continuation and strengthening of the "strategic" cooperation between their countries, according to a statement published on the website of the Iranian president's office.

The Iranian president stressed the need to continue and enhance bilateral cooperation in different areas between the two countries, adding that continuing on that path would serve the two countries' common interests, said the statement.

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Putin, for his part, said collaborations between his country and Iran within the framework of their comprehensive strategic cooperation treaty are continuing despite the ongoing developments and events in the region, underlining the importance of maintaining close relations and cooperation between Moscow and Tehran.