President Donald Trump on Thursday said the United States will not launch new strikes against Iran before the November elections, due to ongoing discussions between his administration and the Islamic regime.
Fighting between the United States and Iran has mostly stalled in recent weeks, with the U.S. military launching its most recent strikes against the country in early September. A naval blockade that was reimposed in July is ongoing.
“We are having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, adding that he wants “to make it clear to everybody that, while Iran is in very bad condition” due to a U.S. pressure campaign against the country, “we will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd.”
Trump, as he was campaigning for Republican candidates this week, has suggested that he is confident that an end to the war could come in the days around the midterms. He also has signaled his administration is open to renewing more strikes against Iran.
The blockade of Iranian ports “will remain in full force and effect,” Trump wrote in his post, adding that 22 million barrels of oil passed through the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway on Wednesday evening “with not one barrel coming from, or going to, Iran!”
Trump has also often said he expects oil prices to drop sharply after the elections, but elevated gas prices have weighed heavily on Republican candidates before November’s contests.
In February, the United States and Israel launched an initial wave of strikes on Iran, instantly removing dozens of top regime leaders. But American voters have expressed frustration in opinion polls about resulting elevated gas and energy prices ahead of the midterms.
According to data published by the American Automobile Association (AAA) on Thursday, U.S. gas prices were hovering around $4.36 per gallon, down about 5 cents from the previous week but up 21 cents from a month ago. The average price one year ago stood at $3.11 per gallon, AAA’s figures show.
Diesel hit a record high on Sept. 22 when the average price stood at $6.52 per gallon, according to AAA. The price has since dropped to $6.28 per gallon, recorded Thursday.
Trump’s post came as U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the military command responsible for Iran operations, wrote in a statement Thursday that it briefed its “international shipping partners” on the Hormuz Strait. It said that in recent months, 1.25 billion barrels of oil had passed through the strait while Iran had shipped none due to the “ironclad blockade” of its ports.
In recent days, the United States and Iran have exchanged proposals on ending the war and reopening the strait. Since the start of the conflict, Iran has threatened or attacked commercial shipping in the waterway.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said through a state-run media report on Thursday that U.S.–Iran negotiations continue and that messages have been sent through mediators.
“We presented our proposal, which was put forward under the title of the ‘seven-day plan,’ and we also heard the American side’s views in response,” he said, according to state-run Tasnim News.
The Iranian regime is “currently reviewing the Americans’ views, and I think we will present our response within the next few days,” he added.
But that same day, an Iranian defense official and general, Majid Ebn al-Reza, threatened possible attacks on the United States itself.
“The distance between you and us is determined by our missiles,” he said, according to Tasnim.
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