Tuesday brought lots of rhetoric from Iran and its allies, so much so that we need to start wondering if they are pushing for a military war again. Three Iranian officials told Reuters early on Tuesday that Iran is deliberately dragging out talks with the United States specifically in an attempt to politically weaken President Donald Trump and his supporters ahead of the November midterm elections. They also said, "Iran is preparing for renewed attacks from Israel and the United States, not for an agreement to end the war."
While they said that they are preparing for war, they also made some bold statements about their nuclear development program. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said, "the United States can gain Iran's trust only if it fulfills their seven conditions." And Iranian Security Council Member Mohsen Rezaei followed Ghalibaf up by emphasizing that this includes a demand that "all enriched nuclear materials will remain in Iran."
It is disconcerting that they made these statements in conjunction with Pakistani Army Chief General Asim Munir, and that Pakistan is so intimately tied to Iran (even though it has a formal alliance with Saudi Arabia and Turkey).
Pakistan is working hard to enlarge its influence both militarily and diplomatically. The Qatari newspaper reported on Tuesday that "Qatar and Pakistan have presented a mediation proposal that addresses the demands of the U.S. and Iran. The proposal is intended to prevent escalation and paves the way for both sides to return to the negotiating table. The proposal, which was conveyed today by the Pakistani army commander to Iranian officials, received American approval, and Iran's consent was also obtained earlier. The proposal includes a partial response to the Iranian demand to release frozen Iranian funds." (It received American approval? From whom?)
The Financial Times reported on Wednesday morning that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was pushing to renew extensive strikes against Iran and even ordered the IDF to plan a new, major attack on October 10. The campaign was designed to include strikes against civilian infrastructure – such as power stations – alongside nuclear facilities and targets associated with the regime. The sources said the plan was stopped due to Trump's opposition to renewing the military conflict prior to the midterms.
But besides Iran's rhetoric, there are clear indications that war is on the horizon: the Pete Hegseth/Netanyahu meeting; the reality of Iraq starting on Wednesday morning to close several borders with Iran; and the fact that Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are not even pretending anymore to have influence in the region.
The Talmud teaches that "If someone comes to kill you, rise up and kill him first" (Sanhedrin 72a); establishing that self-defense against an imminent, lethal threat is not only permitted, but required. The majority of Israelis recognize Iran's goal of the destruction of Israel, for not only has the Iranian regime repeatedly said it, but so have their proxies of Hamas and Hezbollah. We often read how Israelis are upset with Netanyahu, but Western media is entirely wrong about why. Israelis are tired of having a sword over their heads, and upset that Netanyahu has not just acted against Iran and finished this war a year or more ago. They know that every day Iran is working on weapons to use against Israel, and want the regime destroyed as soon as possible.
Even Trump keeps repeating that unless there is a significant change, military action against Iran will commence after the midterms. Most of the Israeli political candidates who support negotiating with Iran have had so little support that they have been forced to leave the elections in Israel, so whoever is voted into power in Israel later this month will probably want to remove the regime at all costs.
We are, and have been, at war. Not just for three years, but for 1,400, for that is how long the Koran and Islam have made it clear that the Koran demands that Muslims create a worldwide caliphate. For them, it has been one continuous war fought both militarily and through infiltrating the institutions: specifically education, jurisprudence, and media of the West.
May we, and all the world, wake up to the fact that Western Civilization is being attacked on all levels. And may we take that awareness and use it to spark ourselves into actions that will defeat this enemy who is attacking in so many ways (i.e., jihadi communities, no-go zones, riots, violence, et al.).
And may we always remember that in Judaism, the goal of war is not victory, but to achieve a lasting peace. May that true peace come speedily in our time.
Chazak u'Baruch
Rabbi Michael Barclay
October 21, 2026
10th of Cheshvan, 5787