Trump announces no U.S. military strikes on Iran before November 3 midterm elections
President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social on Thursday, October 8, 2026, that the United States "will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd." Trump stated that his administration is "having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran" and reaffirmed that Iran will not obtain a nuclear weapon. The announcement came roughly 26 days before the midterm elections.
Trump's social media post on Thursday formalized what officials had not fully ruled out until that point: a pre-election pause on military strikes against Iran, a war now in its seventh month. The president noted that a blockade of Iranian ports would remain "in full force and effect" and highlighted that oil was flowing through the Strait of Hormuz at roughly 22 million barrels per day — while stating that none of that oil was moving to or from Iran.
The announcement followed weeks of mixed signals from the administration. Trump had campaigned for Republican candidates while hinting he was open to resuming full-scale operations and that an "endgame" could come in the days around the election, according to AP. At the same time, officials said military planners had been preparing options for a resumption of hostilities, including targeting Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear facilities, CNN reported.
Diplomatic activity has continued in parallel. Iran said last week it received a U.S. counterproposal after Trump publicly rejected Tehran's offer last month to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if certain conditions were met. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday that Tehran expected to offer a formal response within days, according to AP and CNN.