Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that reports claiming U.S. President Donald Trump had blocked a planned strike on Iranian targets were false. He told Arutz Sheva that the story had been concocted.
According to a Financial Times article, Israel had been preparing a comprehensive bombing campaign for October 10 targeting Iran's nuclear facilities, power plants, civilian infrastructure and sites linked to the regime.
The article said Trump opposed the operation because he feared a surge in global oil prices would hurt U.S. voters ahead of the November 3 midterms.
Washington and Tehran have been at odds over Iran's nuclear programme and U.S. sanctions, and any new attack could derail stalled talks.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll released on October 20 put Trump's approval rating at 31%, the lowest in the survey, amid rising fuel costs.
The U.S. State Department has not issued a statement, and an internal review of the alleged plan is slated for release next week.