Top aides to US President Donald Trump are pushing to prevent the Iran war from escalating before the November midterm elections, as the administration seeks to limit the political fallout from an increasingly unpopular conflict, Reuters reported, citing four people familiar with the discussions.White House officials are considering increasing military action after the November 3 vote, according to the sources, although any return to full-scale conflict is far from certain.For now, the administration is focusing on increasing economic pressure on Iran in an effort to secure concessions in future negotiations that months of military action failed to achieve.“We are keeping the pressure on Iran,” one White House official said. “But November is a priority.”Keeping the conflict largely contained could prevent the war from dominating the news as Trump’s Republicans seek to defend narrow majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives, the sources said.Only 31% of Americans approve of the war, while 63% disapprove, according to a late August Reuters/Ipsos poll. Voters are also particularly unhappy about high petrol prices.
Strategy under pressure as strikes resume
The effort to keep the conflict relatively quiet is facing growing pressure as the US and Iran resume exchanging strikes.Over the weekend, the US struck rocket launchers on Iran’s Larak Island after a month of relative calm, prompting Iran to fire missiles towards Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.On Tuesday, US forces struck more Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz.The latest exchange was the biggest between Tehran and Washington since July.The US military’s Central Command said it struck Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps air defences, radar systems, maritime assets, mine-laying capabilities and communications sites on Tuesday.Iran responded by saying it had struck US assets in Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Iraq, while declaring that its aim was to drive American forces out of the network of military bases maintained across the Middle East.“American evil in the region will be met with heavier, more widespread, and devastating responses, and any country that cooperates with the aggressive American army must accept its dangerous consequences,” Iran’s military command said.Trump threatened further escalation on Tuesday if Iran retaliated against the latest US strikes.“If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Logistics and politics constrain White House
Trump has publicly said the upcoming elections are not influencing his Iran strategy. But Reuters reported that, as the war enters its seventh month, the White House is increasingly constrained by political and logistical realities.“The timetable has changed,” one senior White House official said. Another added that the “calendar is driving Iran.”A tactical pause could also give the US military time to replenish heavily depleted munitions stockpiles, sources said.In August, the military had used “virtually all” of its supply of certain precision missiles.The Washington Post also reported on Sunday that the heads of the Army, Navy and Air Force had warned Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth in a written assessment that prolonging the war was unsustainable and would reduce military readiness in other theatres.The Pentagon has said the military has “everything it needs to execute” its mission.“President Trump has destroyed Iran’s military capabilities and is crippling what’s left of its abysmal economy with the most powerful naval blockade in world history and crushing sanctions,” White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said.“The President will continue to advance America’s interests at home and abroad and will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon.”Trump’s approval rating has fallen from 40% to 33% since the conflict began, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling.Sources said that he is not currently interested in escalation, though his position could change in response to events.Currently, Vice President JD Vance and secretary of state Marco Rubio are among senior Trump aides who support trying to keep the conflict relatively “quiet” until November, according to two White House officials.
Economic pressure takes centre stage
In recent weeks, the administration has intensified its campaign to economically isolate Iran, threatening major sanctions against countries that trade with Tehran while maintaining its blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.The strategy has limitations, analysts and officials said. Iran has spent decades under US and international sanctions, which have damaged its economy but have not deterred its leadership.Treasury secretary Scott Bessent said on Sunday that the pressure campaign could cause Iran to respond militarily, raising the prospect of economic measures contributing to further escalation.China and some other major powers have also not joined Washington’s effort to isolate Iran, raising questions about the effectiveness of the campaign.“The purpose of the new sanctions package is meant to add economic pressure on top of that being caused by the blockade to force Iran back to the table, after the administration determined it was a better option than returning to kinetic action,” said Alex Plitsas, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.“Iran is concerned about it, but China has already indicated that it’s not willing to play ball, which calls into question how effective it will be.”Meanwhile, America’s Gulf allies, some of whom had pushed for aggressive action against Iran earlier in the conflict, urged the White House to de-escalate after a round of attacks in late July, according to regional diplomats.
