President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the U.S. will not attack Iran in the lead up to the midterm elections on Nov. 3, as Republicans struggle to message on high gas prices and rising costs linked to the monthslong conflict.
“We are having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote Thursday on Truth Social.
The president asserted that “Iran is in very bad condition, both Economically and Militarily,” and added that the naval “Blockade will remain in full force and effect, with Oil flowing in Record Numbers of Barrels through the Hormuz Strait.”
The White House asked the Pentagon to develop a list of Iranian targets to strike ahead of the midterms, The Atlantic reported earlier this week — though Trump’s announcement appears to indicate that he does not plan to act on the plans.
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The U.S. has not struck Iran in recent weeks, after July brought back two weeks of intense strikes following a relatively unstable ceasefire earlier in the summer.
Republicans are heading into the midterms with the economy as a top-of-mind issue for voters. The price of diesel reached record highs in the end of September, which prompted several Republicans to call for an end to the war.
Trump touted the movement of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, which serves as a key waterway for the global oil supply, in his post announcing the latest pause in attacks. The president said “22 Million Barrels” moved through the strait “last night alone, with not one barrel coming from, or going to, Iran!”
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