Trump gives blunt, one-word answer on if he'll resume Iran strikes after midterms
WASHINGTON — President Trump had a one-word answer to whether he would resume attacks on Iran after the midterm elections. “No,” Trump told journalists after a nearly hour-long appearance at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool where he made a final appeal to midterm voters. The remark follows a steep drop in oil prices after Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that “very intensive” peace talks are underway. 3 President Trump said Monday that he won’t resume attacks on Iran after the election.
Left out here: Drops what it reported before
The Post reported days earlier that the US had told Gulf states to brace for a fresh blitz on Iran after the midterms. The article leaves this out, so a reader does not see that the "No" reverses the outlet's own recent reporting.
How we know
- New York Post wrote earlier“The US has warned Gulf Arab countries to brace for a brief, intense spate of attacks on Iran following next week’s midterm elections.”Trump warns Gulf allies to prepare for fresh blitz on Iran after midterm elections: report (opens in a new tab)
AFP via Getty Images Trump’s definitive answer followed a phone interview with Axios earlier Monday in which he said, “One way or the other, we will do something, but there is no rush.” Vice President JD Vance said Monday that “we’ve certainly made some progress” and that he and Trump both “feel pretty good about the prospects for potentially coming to a negotiated settlement,” but said that Iranian leaders are “a little unpredictable.”
Left out here: Leaves out what changes the picture
The article never says that Netanyahu had pressed Trump to resume strikes straight after the midterms, or that Trump's "No" came against that pressure. A reader believes resuming strikes was a question for the US alone, with no Israeli push behind it.
How we know
- Anadolu Agency (English) reported“the Israeli leader pressed Washington to resume military action against Iran shortly after the ballot”Trump favors diplomacy with Iran as Netanyahu urges strikes immediately after Tuesday's US midterms: Report (opens in a new tab)
- Anadolu Agency (English) reported“Trump instead decided to allow diplomatic negotiations to continue despite concerns raised by Netanyahu”Trump downplays renewed US strikes on Iran after midterm elections (opens in a new tab)
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Spikes in oil and diesel prices and the ensuing uptick in inflation caused by the war have been major issues in the campaign. Trump noted, however, that more petroleum is now flowing through the Strait of Hormuz than before the war started on Feb. 28, giving hope that the economic impact will ease. “We had a war with Iran. We won,” he said in his remarks. “I don’t know if you even call it a war because we haven’t been doing any fighting for months, you know.
We control the Strait of Hormuz. 3 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that there were “very intensive” peace talks underway. AFP via Getty Images “The Wall Street Journal reported we took out last week more oil than at any time in the history of the Strait, and again oil prices are plunging now. They’re plunging — a record. Nobody’s ever seen a plunge like this, and they’ll be down,” Trump added. “I hope people realize that when they go into the voting booth because we had to stop Iran from having a nuclear weapon.”
Later, Trump added, “We’re talking about war. It’s not a war. We’ve done very little fighting.” 3 Trump gave the answer after delivering a final election appeal. AP Photo/Alex Brandon He said he had agreed to ease up on targeting regime leaders and expressed optimism about talks. “We wiped out their military and their air force, and we did everything we had to do — wiped out their leaders… and they’ve asked us, ‘Please stop doing that’, and we will,” he said.
“But it looks like that’s coming together very nicely.”
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