Day 244 brief — Washington tells the Gulf to prepare, the count inverts Israel's exit polls, and Aramco finally speaks about Ras Tanura

The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States has told several Gulf Arab states to prepare for a campaign against Iran that would be short but intense, after the midterms. Relaying outlets add force movement rather than language: a Patriot air-defence system from Texas to Israel, troops shifted off bases considered exposed, an additional carrier strike group, warships expected next month, bombers and fighters readied and munitions restocked. No official spoke on the record, and the White House would not comment on sensitive military plans that may or may not exist. Israel's count inverted its own exit polls. With 89.8 percent tallied, Netanyahu's bloc stands at 53 seats against Eisenkot's 48, with Arab-led parties at an all-time high of 19 and neither bloc near 61. Netanyahu named a historic, one-time opportunity alongside Trump and did not declare victory. Aramco broke its silence on Ras Tanura: the fire was fully contained, eight workers were injured, terminal operations were unaffected, Al Hadath attributed the fire to interception debris, and NASA FIRMS found heat at the terminal but not at refinery processing units. Araghchi said Iran could implement its seven-day plan in even less than a week, and a reported Qatar-Pakistan formula would trade interest on $6 billion in frozen Qatari assets for confidential IAEA inspections. Admiral Brad Cooper declared the strait free of Iranian mines, while CENTCOM's own six-month figures imply about 8.2 million barrels a day and roughly a fifth of pre-war transits. The Fed held at 3.75 to 4 percent in a 10-2 split with both dissents for a hike. Direction changes to escalating; the 30-day probability moves 6 → 7.