Trump says Iran war will end after the midterms and gas prices will fall

Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he expects Iran will abandon its war effort after the US midterm elections – and he conceded American gas prices are unlikely to fall before then.

Speaking to reporters on his way to the GOP midterm convention in Dallas, Trump asserted that Iran would continue the war into November in an effort to damage him politically.

“I think it’s going to take a little bit longer than the midterm,” Trump said of gas prices coming down. “They’re desperate to try and affect the election so that we can get a nice weak group of people in there and leave them alone and let them have their nuclear weapon.”

But he added that he believes Iran is near collapse and that it would seek an end to the conflict “immediately after the election,” prompting oil prices to tumble downward.

“They can’t hold out any longer,” he said.

Trump’s remarks come as the global benchmark oil price has topped $100 a barrel once again , driven by stepped-up fighting in Iran in recent days that has further jeopardized the flow of crude through the Strait of Hormuz.

The surge in oil prices is likely to further increase fuel costs in the US, which have emerged as a key economic pain point ahead of the midterms.

Trump has repeatedly insisted that oil prices will fall precipitously once the war is over, dismissing concerns about the political impact by insisting that Americans are supportive of the broader offensive against Iran.

“I think it’s very easy to explain to America, all you have to do is say: ‘Will you let Iran have a nuclear weapon?’ And the answer is no,” Trump said.

Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普周三表示，他预计伊朗将在美国中期选举后放弃战争行动——他还承认，在此之前美国汽油价格不太可能下降。

在前往达拉斯参加共和党中期选举大会的途中，特朗普对记者表示，伊朗将把战争延续到11月，以在政治上损害他的利益。

“我认为油价下跌需要比中期选举更长的时间，”特朗普谈到油价下跌时说。“他们不顾一切地想影响选举，这样我们就能选出一群软弱无能的人上台，然后让他们逍遥法外，让他们拥有核武器。”

但他补充说，他认为伊朗已接近崩溃，并将在“选举结束后立即寻求结束冲突”，这将导致油价暴跌。

“他们坚持不下去了，”他说。

特朗普发表上述言论之际，全球基准油价再次突破每桶 100 美元，原因是伊朗近几日战事升级，进一步危及了原油通过霍尔木兹海峡的运输。

油价飙升可能会进一步推高美国的燃料成本，而燃料成本已成为中期选举前的一个主要经济痛点。

特朗普一再坚称，一旦战争结束，油价将急剧下跌，他驳斥了人们对战争政治影响的担忧，并坚称美国民众支持对伊朗的更广泛攻势。

“我认为这很容易向美国解释，你只需要问：‘你们会允许伊朗拥有核武器吗？’答案是否定的，”特朗普说。