Trump rules out new Iran attack before US midterm elections

President Donald Trump on Thursday ruled out attacking Iran before the US midterm elections on November 3, saying Washington was holding “productive discussions” with Tehran.

Trump’s post on his Truth Social platform followed a surge in oil prices on Thursday driven by media reports suggesting potential new US strikes prior to those elections.

“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.

“We are having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he added, without providing additional details.

The Atlantic magazine reported on Wednesday that the White House had asked the Pentagon to develop options to strike Iranian targets that could be used before the midterms. The New York Times published a similar report on Thursday, saying the plans were being developed despite Trump’s “ambivalence”.

The rise in crude oil prices has also been fueled by persistent tensions in the Strait of Hormuz — a strategic chokepoint for the global oil trade — as well as hostilities between Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis and Saudi Arabia.

In a recent sign of those tensions, an oil tanker sailing off the north coast of Qatar reported being struck “by multiple projectiles,” causing an unspecified number of casualties, the UKMTO maritime agency said Wednesday.

Polls suggest that US voters are strongly dissatisfied over rising fuel prices, linked to the conflict launched by the United States and Israel against Iran in February.

The US leader has repeatedly insisted in recent weeks that the United States has effectively won the Iran war, despite ongoing unrest and a recent security threat that forced the withdrawal of American bombers from a base in England.

But Trump’s claims that prices will fall as soon as the Iran war is over have so far fallen on deaf ears with voters.

The midterm elections will shape the final two years of Trump’s presidential term as his Republican Party risks losing its current grip on Congress.

Although Trump is not on the ballot, he is heavily involved in the campaign, holding numerous rallies in an attempt to limit the damage or even turn the political tide.

Trump has warned he faces a possible third impeachment if Democrats retake the House of Representatives, and the White House is preparing for a slew of investigations into corruption and abuse of power.

The US president also on Thursday sought to calm a furor over his comments at a rally earlier this week that Iran could “take out” the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego.

Trump, 80, blamed the “fake and artificial news” for misinterpreting the remarks, which Democrats pounced on.

“In actuality, what I was talking about was that a temporary increase in the price of Gasoline is a small price to pay for Iran not having a Nuclear Weapon and, if you want to see a big price, can you imagine what it would be like if they bombed San Diego and/or Los Angeles?” Trump said on Truth Social.

AFP