Esper: Iran Will 'Get What It Can' Before Midterms
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- Mark Esper, former Defense Secretary, said late Wednesday that Iran will attempt to leverage as much as it can in peace negotiations with the U.S. ahead of midterm elections.
- Esper predicted that after the midterms, President Trump will 'unleash' America's military might on Iran, adding: 'His hand will become freer after the election for sure, and the Iranians know that.'
- Esper's framing implies Tehran views Trump's current restraint as a political posture tied to the election cycle rather than a fixed policy, compressing the window for any negotiated settlement.
Why it matters: For Tehran, the implication is concrete: any negotiating advantage expires by November, which compresses its timeline to extract terms while Trump retains electoral incentive to avoid escalation. A former Pentagon chief publicly identifying the election as the inflection point hands Iran a deadline it can either race against or use to demand faster concessions from US negotiators.
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