Trump says US will not resume military strikes on Iran before the Nov. 3
midterm elections
[October 09, 2026]
By JOSH BOAK and AAMER MADHANI
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he will not
order a resumption of military strikes on Iran before the Nov. 3 midterm
elections in the United States.
Trump, while stumping for Republicans this week, has hinted that he was
confident that an endgame to the war could come in the days before or
after the election, while also hinting that he remained open to resuming
full-scale military operations against Iran.
For weeks, Trump has been threatening that a post-midterm election
escalation in the seven-month-old war remains a viable option, despite
his initial promises to Americans of a military campaign that would last
a matter of weeks.
But Trump in a social media post on Thursday said the U.S. “will not be
attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in
the United States on November 3rd.”
Trump added that his team has been “having productive discussions with
the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
The U.S. and Iran signed a short-lived interim agreement in June,
intended to establish a 60-day ceasefire and framework for a permanent
peace deal.
The deal signed by Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian
collapsed within weeks amid renewed military actions and disputes over
control of the Strait of Hormuz, the critical water which one-fifth
world's oil flowed through before the war.
Negotiations had appeared at a standstill since Trump late last month
publicly rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the strait within seven days
if the U.S. met certain conditions.
Iran, however, said last week they had received a U.S. counterproposal.
And Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier on Thursday said he expected
Tehran would offer a formal reply within days.
Trump on Wednesday during a campaign rally in San Antonio, Texas, said
that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has continued indirect
negotiations with Iranian officials.
But at the same time, Trump suggested he had mixed feelings about ending
the war at this point.
“I think the deal isn’t really something that I want to do, but they’re
willing to offer us anything to stop,” Trump said.
Trump believes that the U.S. is gaining leverage as the U.S. military is
having greater success in helping oil tankers traverse the Strait of
Hormuz and get Gulf allies’ oil to market, while a Navy blockade is
shutting down Iran’s own oil exports.
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President Donald Trump talks to reporters as he walks on the South
Lawn upon his arrival to the White House, Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026, in
Washington. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Iran has lost its near chokehold over oil flows through the vital
waterway with U.S. Central Command shepherding oil tankers through
the strait at night with their location systems turned off.
That with the help of Gulf pipelines that skirt the strait, has
allowed Gulf countries to export oil at nearly prewar levels.
But Iran has ramped up attacks on tankers passing through the strait
in recent days. And overall, ship traffic remains well below prewar
levels, as are shipments of liquid natural gas and fuel products.
Tanker operators willing to risk running the gauntlet under Central
Command’s protection are in some cases charging rates of $1 million
a day or more, shipping analysts say.
The situation has become further complicated as Saudi Arabia and
Yemen’s government have launched a military campaign aimed at
driving Iran-backed Houthi rebels from the Bab el-Mandeb strait,
another critical Mideast trade route for oil and other goods. The
Houthis, in turn, are targeting Saudi airports and key
infrastructure in the kingdom with drone and missile strikes.
Trump's post comes as the military has dispatched more resources to
the region. U.S. officials have said a third aircraft carrier, the
USS Theodore Roosevelt, and thousands of troops aboard it and
accompanying ships could arrive as early as the end of October.
Trump’s announcement was made the same day the USS Abraham Lincoln
was due to arrive to its home port in San Diego after a record-long
deployment in support of the Iran war. There have been reports of
crew stress and poor mental health, as well as supply shortages,
including food and hygiene products.
The USS George Washington, which is usually based in Asia, relieved
the Lincoln in August. The other aircraft carrier in the Middle
East, the USS George H.W. Bush, has been deployed for about six
months, but it pulled into Phuket, Thailand, for a port visit
several days ago.
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