Trump says he will not attack Iran before the midterm election

Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP

President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has no plans to strike Iran before the midterm election.

“We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd,” Trump declared on Truth Social, adding that the administration is “having productive discussions” with Tehran and that his main goal is to ensure the country does not obtain a nuclear weapon.

The president’s comments come after multiple media reports detailed the administration planning for potential new strikes before the elections — just 26 days away.

Trump emphasized that he plans to keep up economic pressure on Iran, saying the blockade of Iranian ports “will remain in full force and effect.” The administration has favored economic punishment over military strikes for months, though it’s seemingly done little to motivate Iranian officials to negotiate.

US officials previously told CNN that the broad consensus in the administration was to hold off on further military action until after the midterm election, something Trump has indicated publicly on several occasions.

朱莉娅·德马雷·尼金森/美联社

唐纳德·特朗普总统周四宣布，他没有在中期选举前打击伊朗的计划。

特朗普在 Truth Social 上宣称：“在 11 月 3 日美国中期选举之前，我们绝不会攻击伊朗。”他还补充说，本届政府正在与德黑兰进行“富有成效的讨论”，他的主要目标是确保伊朗不会获得核武器。

总统发表上述言论之前，多家媒体报道详细披露了政府计划在大选前（距离大选仅剩 26 天）发动新的打击行动。

特朗普强调，他计划继续对伊朗施加经济压力，并表示对伊朗港口的封锁“将继续全面有效”。几个月来，美国政府一直倾向于经济制裁而非军事打击，但似乎并未采取多少措施促使伊朗官员进行谈判。

美国官员此前告诉 CNN，政府内部的广泛共识是推迟进一步的军事行动，直到中期选举之后，特朗普也曾多次公开表示过这一点。