Iranupdated 1h ago3 min read
Trump Says U.S. Will Not Attack Iran Before Nov. 3 Midterm Elections
This article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Trump said the U.S. will not attack Iran before the November 3 midterm elections. The pause reflects electoral considerations and concerns over rising fuel prices in U.S. politics.
19 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Mohsen Rezaei Says Iran Will Determine When Confrontation With America Ends →
Trump draws an election line
President Donald Trump said the United States “will not be attacking Iran at any time prior” to the Nov. 3 midterm elections while he also told voters he was keeping “productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The AP described Trump’s stance as a decision not to order a resumption of military strikes on Iran before Nov. 3, even as the report said he hinted at an endgame that could come before or after the election.
The ABC News account said Trump and Iran’s leadership both insist the U.S. election calendar is not driving their decisions, while it also said U.S. economic sanctions and a naval blockade on Iranian oil are causing “profound shocks for Tehran’s economy.”
The AP said negotiations had appeared at a standstill after Trump late last month publicly rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the strait within seven days if the U.S. met certain conditions, and it said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expected Tehran would offer a formal reply within days.
The ABC News account quoted Sasan Karimi, a former Iranian government official, saying Iran’s leadership is concerned that “the U.S., especially in the Trump era, will not be compliant to any deal even if he himself signs it.”
Plans for strikes persist
The Diario Socialista report said the White House asked the Pentagon to develop attack options against Iranian targets that could be carried out before the midterm elections, citing The Atlantic and other outlets.
The same report said The New York Times stated the plans “focus on a short, intensive campaign of about three days,” and it said American military commanders were ready to begin larger operations in the coming days if the president changes his mind.
The Armees report said the Department of Defense developed scenarios for a potential confrontation with Iran, and it said the most advanced plan “envisions a 72-hour air campaign.”
The AP said the military has dispatched more resources to the region and that a third aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and thousands of troops aboard it could arrive as early as the end of October.
The ABC News account said Trump has dispatched more military resources to the region and threatened to resume strikes even while declaring the U.S. “will not be attacking Iran at any time prior” to Nov. 3.
Fuel prices and political stakes
The Arab Weekly said the U.S. administration reached an arrangement with Russia to ensure additional diesel supplies ahead of midterm elections, and it said Trump announced Russia agreed to supply “more than 300,000 metric tonnes of diesel” to global markets.
The Arab Weekly reported that diesel prices fell after the announcement but that analysts said the deal may not be enough to keep them down, and it said diesel prices are near a record and risk for Trump’s fellow Republicans ahead of Nov. 3.
The ABC News account said persistent inflation and high gas prices fueled by the conflict drove widespread American disapproval of the war, and it cited a poll showing 69% of Americans say the war has not been worth fighting.
The AP said Trump’s announcement came as the military dispatched more resources to the region and as the situation in the Strait of Hormuz remained tense, with Iran ramping up attacks on tankers passing through the strait in recent days.
The ABC News account said only 28% approve of how Trump is handling Iran, and it said some Republicans in competitive races sought to distance themselves from Trump on the war, including Mike Rogers saying the “war with Iran needs to end — and end quickly.”