Trump Rules Out Iran Attack Before November 3 Midterms
President Donald Trump said the United States would not attack Iran before the November 3 midterm election, reversing remarks from the previous night about…
With oil prices climbing on fears of renewed conflict, trump iran policy took a sharp turn on Thursday. President Donald Trump said the United States would not attack Iran before the November 3 midterm election, reversing remarks from the previous night and easing immediate fears of a pre-election strike.
Trump said Washington was having “productive discussions” with Tehran, but the U.S. naval blockade of Iran would remain in place. He also reiterated that Tehran would not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.
“We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. The declaration followed reports that his administration had considered renewed military action before voters went to the polls.
Trump Iran position reverses within a day
At a campaign rally with Republican candidates in San Antonio late Wednesday, Trump said a deal with Iran was not something he wanted. He added that Tehran was willing to offer anything to stop the conflict and said U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff was working on an agreement.
NBC News reported Wednesday that Trump and his national security team had discussed resuming large-scale military operations in the coming weeks, citing a U.S. official and another person familiar with the talks. Axios reported that a possible return to conflict could involve “massive bombing” of Iranian energy, infrastructure and nuclear targets.
The Thursday statement changed that near-term calculation. Trump explicitly tied the timing of any attack to the midterm election, while leaving the blockade in place. The U.S. military posture and diplomatic discussions therefore remain part of the same unsettled picture.
Oil markets reacted to the prospect of escalation. Brent crude rose more than 4% on Thursday to above $104 a barrel, according to CNBC. The report said prices had climbed after Trump’s Wednesday remarks about possible strikes.
Fuel costs add pressure during election season
The economic consequences are already part of the domestic political debate. Gas prices have climbed roughly 40% from a year earlier, according to AAA data, and the national average stood at $4.36 a gallon on Thursday, compared with $2.98 just before the war began in late February.
Higher costs are adding to affordability concerns as Republicans fight to retain control of Congress. CNBC reported that numerous Republican candidates in competitive congressional races have tried to distance themselves from Trump, often over the Iran war. The report also cited a Reuters/Ipsos poll in which 31% of Americans supported U.S. military action against Iran in August, down from 37% in March; 83% expected the conflict to be prolonged.
The pressure reaches beyond campaign messaging. Elevated fuel prices affect household costs, while disruption or uncertainty around energy exports can unsettle oil markets. Even as exports from the Middle East have been recovering, crude prices have remained elevated, according to Kpler.
Kpler data showed combined crude volumes exiting the Gulf, excluding Iran, together with volumes from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, were around the pre-conflict level of 18.5 million barrels per day. Matt Wright, Kpler’s lead freight analyst, said “Normalisation no longer needs to wait for a deal,” while forecasting “slower, uneven normalisation” as traffic recovers through operational adaptation.
Trump also claimed Thursday that 22 million barrels of oil moved through the Strait of Hormuz overnight, with none coming from or going to Iran. CNBC said it had not independently verified that figure.
Source: cnbc.com
