US Could Strike Iran This Weekend, Says US Envoy Tom Barrack as Washington–Israel Threats Mount

The United States could launch military strikes against Iran as early as this weekend, a US envoy has warned, raising the prospect of a renewed and dangerous escalation after weeks of mounting threats from both Washington and Israel.

"Could there be a strike this weekend? Absolutely," Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkiye and Washington's special envoy for Syria and Iraq, told podcast host Mario Nawfal on Friday while on a visit to the Gulf. The warning, reported by AFP, came amid a fresh burst of tough talk from President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — though Trump himself appeared to pour cold water on the idea hours later.

Main News Report

Barrack, who does not have a direct role on Iran policy, insisted in the interview that Trump remains open to a diplomatic settlement. "President Donald Trump is very clear. He's open and available and accessible to a deal and we've been at the table for months and months and months," he said.

He stressed, however, that continued Iranian threats against US allies in the Gulf would carry consequences — while ruling out any American goal of toppling Tehran's clerical leadership, which has been in power since the 1979 revolution.

"If you keep threatening the world, our allies, the Gulf, there will be a consequence. The consequence won't be regime change," Barrack said. "The United States — the president of the United States — has said he's not interested in regime change. The problem with regime change always is, what's the day-two scenario?"

That framing directly contradicted Netanyahu, who faces an election on Tuesday and has in recent days repeatedly vowed to bring down the Iranian regime, following two major Israeli bombing campaigns against Iran over the past year. On Friday, Trump himself kept both options on the table, telling reporters at the White House: "We could end it very quickly... Do we want to finish it off or do we want to let it wither is the question."

But according to The Times of Israel, when asked about Barrack's weekend-strike claim, Trump replied: "I don't know anything about that." Trump had earlier said no strikes would happen before the US congressional elections on November 3 — a statement he has now signalled he may not be bound by.

Background Context

The envoy's warning lands as the region's energy and security crises deepen. Brent crude futures have climbed to $116.35 a barrel, with a session high of $117.45 — the highest in nearly six months — after Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia stoked fears of further disruption to Middle East energy supplies, Dawn's live coverage reported, citing Reuters. The price spike follows Brent's surge above $114 earlier this week on the same fears.

Iran, for its part, claimed this week that seven tankers were struck in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran's ground-forces commander has ordered all unit commanders to remain at the highest level of combat readiness, warning that any negligence in wartime "could entail heavy costs," according to state broadcaster IRIB.

Meanwhile, Houthi attacks have struck Saudi defence and Aramco facilities, killing four more people, and the Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted a Houthi ballistic missile targeting the Saudi city of Khamis Mushait. Washington ordered diplomats out of Saudi Arabia earlier this week after the Houthi strikes killed three and hit the Shaybah oilfield.

Diplomacy is running in parallel: foreign ministers from Turkiye, Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Germany, France, Britain and Italy met in Istanbul to discuss Gulf developments, where Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said none of the countries present approve of another military attack on Iran and that diplomacy was the only way to end the war. Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a bilateral meeting with his French counterpart on the sidelines.

Reactions and Statements

• Tom Barrack, US envoy: "Could there be a strike this weekend? Absolutely" — but the consequence would not be regime change, since "what's the day-two scenario?"
• President Donald Trump: "We could end it very quickly... Do we want to finish it off or do we want to let it wither," while saying of the weekend-strike claim: "I don't know anything about that."
• Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu: has repeatedly vowed to topple the Iranian regime ahead of Tuesday's elections, and announced an unprecedented West Bank military operation — a position Barrack's remarks contradicted.
• France's Jean-Noel Barrot: warned in Istanbul that any renewed escalation "would leave no winners and would likely have very serious consequences for hydrocarbon prices."
• Turkiye's Hakan Fidan: said none of the Istanbul meeting's countries approve of another attack and that diplomacy and dialogue were the only way to end the war.

Why This News Matters

For Pakistan, the stakes are immediate and domestic. Any US or Israeli strike on Iran would almost certainly send oil prices higher still, and with Brent already at six-month highs, the next fortnightly fuel-price review could bring fresh increases at Pakistani pumps — on top of the volatility seen in this week's fuel-market moves. Pakistan imports the overwhelming bulk of its petroleum, so a Gulf conflict translates directly into higher import bills, inflationary pressure and a tougher balance-of-payments position.

Beyond economics, Pakistan sits between the two fires: it borders Iran, hosts a large Shia minority, and is a long-standing partner of both Saudi Arabia and the United States, while pursuing mediation through figures such as Ishaq Dar. An attack this weekend would test Islamabad's delicate balancing act — and the region's already thin diplomatic guardrails.

Future Developments

• This weekend: whether the Barrack warning materialises into any US or Israeli military action — or, as Trump suggested, gets deferred past the November 3 congressional elections.
• Tuesday: Israel's elections, which Netanyahu is linking to his hard line on Iran and an unprecedented West Bank operation.
• Istanbul follow-through: whether the European and regional ministers' rejection of further strikes produces any joint diplomatic push in the coming days.
• Oil markets: Brent's trajectory into next week, which will shape Pakistan's next fuel-price announcement and import bill.

Sources

• Dawn — Live Updates: War returns to Iran with Israel, US strikes
• Arab News Pakistan — US could strike Iran this weekend, envoy says (AFP)
• The Times of Israel — US envoy: We could strike Iran this weekend; Trump: I don't know anything about that

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