President Donald Trump announced Thursday he will not authorize strikes against Iran between now and the midterm elections in November after his Pentagon was reportedly drafting attack plans.
‘We are having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran,’ the president wrote on social media.
‘I want to make it clear to everybody that, while Iran is in very bad condition … we will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd.’
The proclamation came within 24 hours of a report indicating that Pentagon officials were drafting battle plans for Trump to escalate the war after weeks of relative calm.
The White House requested that US military officials create new strike options targeting the Islamic Republic ahead of the midterms, two administration officials told The Atlantic.
Given the orders for fresh strike options, and Trump’s statement declaring the US will stand down before the midterms, it appears the president has U-turned on reigniting the fight as voters fill out their ballots.
Trump said in his statement that Iran’s poor economic and military condition and his ongoing blockade against the Islamic Republic’s exports have severely crippled the regime. He also claimed ‘record numbers’ of oil are transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
Still, US Central Command is reportedly drafting the plans, but the size of the strikes, the targets and whether the president will pull the trigger are all still being debated.
President Donald Trump announced on Thursday he would not authorize strikes against Iran before the US midterm elections on November 3
The Iran war has prompted global fuel prices to shoot up drastically
Trump’s announcement came within 24 hours of a report from The Atlantic claiming the White House had requested Pentagon planners prepare plans for strikes before the midterms
‘It would make the president look like he got a win,’ one Republican familiar with the deliberations told The Atlantic.
Brent crude soared past $105 a barrel on Thursday morning as markets reacted to the potential of new strikes.
Following Trump’s announcement, the price dropped a few dollars by the afternoon.
Late last month, Trump rejected an Iranian proposal for a seven-day ceasefire and was expected to hold off on any new bombing until after voters go to the polls.
Talks between Washington and Tehran have been stuck for months, deadlocked over Iran’s nuclear program and control of the strait.
Trump has repeatedly said that the Iran war will be concluded following the US midterm elections, and that the regime wants to hold out on a deal to pressure the president and Republicans.
‘I believe we’ll make a deal right after the election, because it doesn’t make sense for them not to,’ Trump said at the UN General Assembly in late September.
The administration has turned away from kinetic action in favor of economic sanctions in recent months.
The US has expended thousands of missiles and drones in its offensive against Iran, prompting some concern among military planners about whether the US has enough munitions to defend itself and its allies against Iranian threats
The US has authorized strikes on tankers that are believed to be evading the US blockade on Iran or thought to be carrying goods headed to or from the Islamic Republic
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was tapped by Trump to lead Operation Economic Outcast, an effort to crack down on Tehran’s remaining revenue streams to undermine their military resistance to the US.
The Iran war’s impact on global oil prices has driven up the price of fuel dramatically in the US compared to before the conflict.
As prices have risen, so has voter discontent, with polls finding inflation and the cost of living are primary concerns for Americans heading into the election.
‘Right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward,’ Trump told reporters last month.
