Iran War May Continue Until After US Midterm Elections, Says Trump

US President Donald Trump has said he expects the war with Iran to continue until after the November midterm elections, warning that oil prices are unlikely to fall significantly before then.

According to BBC, Trump made the remarks on Wednesday while travelling to Texas for the Republican Party’s first-ever midterm election convention, where he also defended the conflict and argued that short-term economic pain was necessary to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

“I think the war’s going to end immediately after the election because they can’t hold out any longer,” Trump said of Tehran.

Trump is facing declining approval ratings and growing pressure from members of his own Republican Party to bring the conflict to an end.

“Right after the election, oil prices are going to be tumbling downward,” Trump told reporters. “I think it’s going to take a little bit longer than the midterm.”

He also accused Iran of seeking to influence the US elections, claiming Tehran was “desperate to try and affect the election, so that we can get a nice weak group of people in there” – an apparent reference to Democrats – “and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon”.

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Trump provided no evidence to support the claim, while Tehran has repeatedly denied that it is pursuing nuclear weapons.

Speaking at the Republican convention in Texas, Trump again linked a fall in oil prices to the outcome of the conflict, saying prices would tumble “as soon as we win the war with Iran”.

He also acknowledged growing concern among some Americans over the economic impact of the war.

“Guys come up to me and say, ‘I wish you didn’t do the war in Iran. Now gasoline is up’,” Trump said.

The president said further negotiations with Iran remained possible, “but it’s not something we’re looking at”.

Trump had initially predicted that the war, now in its seventh month, would last only a matter of weeks. The prolonged conflict and its impact on fuel and food prices have contributed to a sharp decline in his approval ratings and increased calls from Republicans for the fighting to end.

The US midterm elections are scheduled for November 3, with Republicans facing the possibility of losing their control of Congress.

At the Texas convention, Trump sought to rally Republicans ahead of the elections, which traditionally see the sitting president’s party lose seats in Congress.

Meanwhile, fighting in the Middle East has intensified, with attacks on oil facilities across the region pushing global fuel prices higher and raising concerns about the cost of goods dependent on shipping.

Oil prices reached $100 a barrel on Wednesday for the first time since July, while US diesel prices also hit a record high earlier in the week.

The US military said on Wednesday that it had attacked five oil tanker ships linked to Iran. Iranian state media reported that Tehran subsequently attacked two US Navy destroyers and eight oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, causing “heavy damage” to the vessels.

A day earlier, Iran-linked Houthi forces in Yemen launched attacks in Saudi Arabia, triggering fires at oil facilities.

The renewed fighting followed the expiration last month of a 60-day ceasefire between the US and Iran, with rising energy costs also fuelling concerns that inflation could prompt higher interest rates in the United States.