Trump’s Iran War Drives Gulf Hedging Before Midterms — SkimNews
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- Trump told Time he does not believe peace with Iran is ever possible, yet promised no strikes before the Nov. 3 midterms even as Central Command was reportedly told to prepare for major combat operations.
- Iran demands that sanctions and threats be lifted and that not a single gram of enriched uranium leave before talks resume; it has fortified nuclear sites and warned that regional energy infrastructure would be targeted.
- US House of Representatives has voted three times to restrict Trump’s war powers in Iran, while Republican candidates in competitive seats now campaign openly on ending the war to lower petrol prices.
- Politico found in a survey that 46% of voters said ending the war before the election would not change their vote at all.
- UAE joined the campaign against Iran in February but opened a back channel with Tehran; after the US twice rebuffed Saudi requests for Houthi airstrikes, it reportedly agreed to resume funding anti-Houthi forces in southern Yemen.
- The Wall Street Journal reported that Revolutionary Guard officers helped direct Houthi strikes that killed at least 19 people at Saudi airports; within days of the deadliest attack, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called Riyadh to offer mediation and said the crisis had no military solution.
- Israel asked that any renewed strikes on Iran wait until after its Oct. 27 election, while polls put Netanyahu’s coalition on fewer than 50 of the 61 seats needed to govern.
Why it matters: The prospect of major US operations before November’s midterms has a weak political payoff: 46% of voters said ending the war before the election would not change their vote. With crude above $110 and three House war-powers votes, escalation offers Republicans little electoral cover as Iran has warned energy infrastructure would be targeted.
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