Trump Says He Has No Plan to Attack Iran Before Midterms, Then Reverses Within Hours

U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 8th (local time) that he would not attack Iran before the November 3 midterm elections (congressional elections held midway through a president's term). The remarks came just hours after reports emerged that a major military operation against Iran was being reviewed for resumption.

Just before his remarks, NBC News reported that President Trump and his national security team had discussed ways to resume a large-scale military operation against Iran within the coming weeks, and that the White House had asked the Defense Department to prepare attack options ahead of the midterms. Axios also reported that days earlier, the U.S. Defense Department had ordered Central Command (CENTCOM, the U.S. military's Middle East command) to complete preparations for resuming a major military operation targeting Iran.

On Truth Social on the 8th (local time), President Trump stated: "We are having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran," adding, "There will be no attack on Iran at any point before the midterm elections held in the United States on November 3." He said, "Iran is in a very bad situation, both economically and militarily," and that the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports would remain fully in place. He went on to say, "Iran will not have a nuclear weapon."

Apart from the naval blockade of Iranian ports, oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz continue. President Trump claimed, "Just last night, 22 million barrels of oil passed through the Strait of Hormuz, and not a single barrel of that came from or was headed to Iran."