Trump claims Iran war will end after midterms as advisers prepare for conflict until 2029

White House assessments and campaign rhetoric

Donald Trump stated on Wednesday before departing for Dallas that the military confrontation with Iran will conclude immediately after the November 3 legislative elections. Speaking to reporters on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews, Trump asserted that Tehran is intensifying attacks to harm Republican candidates and influence the midterm vote.

“I think the war will end immediately after the elections because they cannot resist any longer. They are desperate to try to influence the elections so that a group of weak people comes to power who will leave them alone and permit them to have nuclear weapons.”

Internal White House evaluations provide a different outlook. In Oval Office and Situation Room meetings attended by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, advisers examined projections that Iran could sustain military resistance through January 2029. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth extended specific Middle East deployments until 2027, while the Pentagon assigned regional air defense units without fixed departure dates.

Military strikes and expanded maritime restrictions

The conflict, now in its seventh month, escalated across regional waters following targeted strikes on Iranian shipping. United States forces destroyed five Iranian oil tankers in a single day, hitting four vessels in the Gulf of Oman and one near Kharg Island. Trump stated that American forces had disabled nine Iranian vessels in total. Marco Rubio confirmed that maritime targets were chosen in direct response to Iranian attacks on American naval units.

“When the Iranians attack our military ships, they pay a price in tankers.”

Iran retaliated by launching 20 ballistic missiles toward an American military base, with Jordanian air defense systems intercepting 18 of the missiles and the remaining two landing in unpopulated territory without causing casualties. Tehran also reported attacks on 10 vessels near the Strait of Hormuz and claimed the capture of an American underwater drone. Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Hossein Mohebi announced that maritime restrictions would widen from Chabahar into sections of the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

Energy market reaction and economic strain

Attacks near the Strait of Hormuz, which handled roughly one-fifth of global oil transit before the conflict, drove commodity markets higher. Brent crude climbed more than 3% on Wednesday to close at $101.21 per barrel, rising above $100 for the first time since July. European natural gas prices also increased to their highest levels since early 2023.

Prior month4.01

Current4.22

Prior month

4.01 $/gal

Current

4.22 $/gal

Data from the article text

Domestic fuel costs have increased across the United States. Data from the American Automobile Association showed regular gasoline prices reaching a nationwide average of $4.22 per gallon, up from $4.01 per gallon one month prior. Diesel fuel averaged nearly $6 per gallon. Trump predicted that gasoline prices would drop below $2 per gallon once the conflict ends, describing elevated pump prices as the price required to deny Iran nuclear weapons.

Ceasefire demands and midterm election scrutiny

Diplomatic resolution remains distant as Iranian officials outlined expansive requirements for any cessation of hostilities. Hossein Mohebi stated that Washington must end all threats, release $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets, lift the blockade on Yemen, secure the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, and halt scrutiny of Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

“JD Vance, Trump's chief sycophant, who wants to hide the fact that he is the architect of Trump's endless war in Iran, and, of course, we have Donald Trump himself, a president who suffers from dementia, who unleashed violence in our cities, raised food prices, and sabotaged farmers.”

The protracted hostilities remain central to the November 3 midterm elections, where all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate are at stake. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and other Democratic leaders pointed to fuel prices and inflation as direct consequences of White House foreign policy.