Trump: No Iran Strikes Before Midterms 10/09 06:23

   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.

   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 rejectedIran'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.

   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.