U.S. President Donald Trump ruled out attacking Iran before the U.S. midterm elections on November 3, saying Washington was holding “productive discussions” with Tehran.
The announcement comes after an increase in oil prices following media reports suggesting new U.S. strikes are possible ahead of elections. The reports said the White House had asked the Pentagon to prepare potential options for attacks on Iranian targets before the vote, despite uncertainty over whether Trump would authorize them.
“I want to make it clear to everybody that, while Iran is in very bad condition, both Economically and Militarily, and while the Blockade will remain in full force and effect…we will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Oil markets remain under pressure from the conflict, with tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and fighting between Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia adding to concerns over energy supplies. Brent crude briefly reached $105.88 a barrel on Thursday before easing to $104.28. Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to help bring the Middle East war to an end during talks with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Turkmenistan. Pezeshkian said Tehran wanted a “final framework” to end the conflict but accused Washington of attacking Iran despite ongoing dialogue. Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly argued that the United States has effectively won the war.
Trump’s decision removes the immediate prospect of a new U.S. attack before November 3 but leaves open what happens after the elections, while the blockade remains in place. The vote will determine the composition of Congress for the final two years of Trump’s presidency, with Republicans at risk of losing both chambers. A change in congressional control could increase political scrutiny of the administration through investigations and, if Democrats take the House, potentially renewed impeachment efforts. The period after the elections could therefore become significant for the direction of the conflict, particularly if the incoming Congress would make the administration’s Iran policy more politically difficult to sustain. At the same time, continued diplomatic contacts involving Iran, Russia, and the United States leave negotiations as another possible path. Trump’s announcement therefore postpones the immediate question of further U.S. military action rather than resolving the wider uncertainty over the war’s trajectory. (AFP+EIR)
