Trump considers striking Iran before midterms: report

US President Trump is considering limited military strikes on Iranian targets before the November midterm elections, according to a new report from The Atlantic, as the White House seeks to project strength and ease pressure from high gas prices amid an unpopular conflict now in its eighth month.

After weeks without US strikes on Iran, the relative calm has aligned with the final stretch of the midterm campaign.

Many assumed Trump would maintain the pause through Election Day on November 3 to avoid highlighting a war that has dragged down Republican candidates.

Instead, two administration officials told The Atlantic that the White House has directed the Pentagon to prepare strike options that could be carried out ahead of the vote.

The planning, centered at US Central Command, reflects Trump’s desire to lower gas prices and show progress in the conflict before voters head to the polls.

No final decision has been made, and the scale and specific targets remain under debate.

Advocates of limited strikes concede that such action alone would not force Iran back to the negotiating table, reopen safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, or reduce gas prices in time for Election Day.

Still, supporters argue it could allow Trump to claim a win and generate momentum for Republicans.

“It would make the president look like he got a win and that gas prices would start going down,” a Republican familiar with the deliberations said.

A limited operation could later be followed by larger action after the midterms.

The risks are significant.

Any renewed campaign would endanger roughly 50,000 US troops in the region and Gulf allies, while further straining already depleted munitions stockpiles.

Critics note that past US strikes have typically driven oil prices higher rather than lower.

“Military action has done nothing to drive down oil prices; in fact, it has done the opposite,” said Will Walldorf, an international-affairs professor at Wake Forest University and senior fellow at Defense Priorities.

“And if this is an attempt to rally the Republican vote, how does that make any sense given how unpopular this war is?”
Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of resuming or escalating strikes, primarily after the election.

In a United Nations speech last month, he threatened to “annihilate the Islamic Republic” if Iran refused a deal.

In a recent Time magazine interview, he said post-election strikes were “possible,” adding that “we’ve been stocking up for the last six months.”

Last week he predicted a US victory “right after the election,” though he also allowed, “Maybe before the election.”

Advisers have generally preferred waiting until after November, when the political costs would be lower.

The war, which began with US and ‘Israeli’ strikes in late February, remains deeply unpopular and has fueled high energy prices that Republican candidates view as a major liability.

Gas averages $4.37 a gallon, up from under $3 before the conflict.

Oil prices hover around $100 a barrel after earlier spikes near $118.

Recent Iranian attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz have complicated hopes for lower prices, and the administration has considered releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

A White House official stressed that Trump “has all options available at any time,” noting that “things will go one of two ways; the easy way or the hard way.”

Meanwhile, indirect talks continue through mediators, though major gaps remain over a cease-fire, the US blockade, and reopening the strait.

Officials describe Iran’s economy as teetering and its leadership as divided, with hard-liners holding the upper hand.

“Iran is watching the calendar and knows the election is coming,” one adviser said.

“And they want to stick it to the president.”