President Donald Trump said the United States will not strike Iran before the November 3 midterm elections and described talks with Tehran as productive.
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States will not launch an attack on Iran before the November 3 midterm elections. In a Truth Social post he wrote that Washington was having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran and would not attack at any time before those elections.
Reuters reported that the war began in February when the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran. The conflict has weighed on Republican efforts to hold narrow congressional majorities. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found about 60 percent of Americans, including one in four Republicans, disapproved of how Trump is handling Iran, and that the war has pushed gasoline prices higher.
The two sides have exchanged proposals in recent weeks on ending the war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Trump rejected Tehran's latest offer, Reuters said. Iranian state media reported on Thursday that Tehran would not abandon uranium enrichment or hand over its uranium stockpile, citing the head of the Atomic Energy Organization.
CNN reported that Trump also said the blockade of Iranian ports would remain in full force. The statement follows media reports that the administration had been preparing for possible new strikes before the election.
The post sets a date boundary for strikes. It does not announce a ceasefire, a reopened strait, or an agreement on enrichment.
People Sentiments Mixed
- Trump wrote that discussions with Iran were productive and that the United States would not attack before November 3.
- Iranian state media said Tehran would not abandon uranium enrichment or hand over its stockpile.