Trump Weighs New Iran Strikes After Midterm Defeat

Two days after Republicans suffered a bruising midterm defeat, US President Donald Trump met his national security team to discuss whether to launch new strikes on Iran. The White House held meetings on Wednesday and Thursday, senior US officials told Fox News. Speaking in the Oval Office on Thursday, November 5, Trump said a decision would come soon.

“I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I’ll have to,” Trump said. “You’ll know soon enough.”

The remarks came after the expiry of a pledge Trump made in October to hold off on attacking Iran before the November 3 vote. In Moscow, Iran’s security chief said Tehran would keep the Strait of Hormuz closed and refuse negotiations until the United States met all seven of its conditions.

Trump’s election pledge expires

On October 8, Trump said talks with Iran were productive and gave his pledge a specific deadline. “We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd,” he said at the time. US media outlets reported that indirect negotiations were underway.

Trump had previously warned that American forces had yet to begin “destroying what’s left” of Iran. Bridges and energy infrastructure remained potential targets. At another point in the conflict, he suggested a deal would come only after the US had destroyed what remained of the country and its leadership.

In the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump spoke of sparing what was left of Iran while leaving open the possibility of more strikes. He framed the decision around whether further attacks could prevent Iran from rebuilding its nuclear programme. He estimated that it could take the country 25 years to rebuild.

The war had become a source of political strain for the administration before the vote. Disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz rattled energy markets, while elevated fuel costs added to domestic pressure on the White House.

US military prepares as Iraq rules out use of its territory

US Central Command was finalising preparations for a possible resumption of major combat operations, according to reports citing a US official. The command was still awaiting a directive from Washington.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi told Trump in a phone call on Thursday that Iraq’s territory must not be used to launch attacks on neighbouring countries. In a statement on X, the Iraqi prime minister’s office said Al-Zaidi had called for respect for national sovereignty and made clear that Baghdad opposed the use of its soil as a launchpad for aggression.

Tehran takes its seven conditions to Moscow

Iran’s security chief, Major General Mohsen Rezaei, met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Thursday and delivered a message from Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.

“Until the Americans fulfil our seven conditions, neither will the Strait of Hormuz be opened, nor will there be any negotiations,” Rezaei told reporters after the meeting. Iranian broadcaster Press TV reported that Tehran wanted all seven conditions implemented together before it would consider diplomacy worthwhile.

Rezaei said Putin had condemned the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, including attacks on its nuclear facilities, and offered to help end the war. The two also discussed a proposed gas pipeline from Russia to Iran. Rezaei said it could ease Iran’s gas shortages and allow Russian gas to be sold to neighbouring countries.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also spoke by phone with his counterparts in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman as regional diplomatic efforts continued.

With inputs from ANI