HUNT VALLEY, Md. (TNND) — President Donald Trump’s approach to the Iran war, which began in late February with U.S.-assisted airstrikes, has shifted slightly toward peace as the November midterms near.
Having threatened to destroy a “whole civilization” in April, Trump appears to have come to terms with the fallout of his attacks against a country with a tight grip on a crucial oil trade route. Tehran has demonstrated its willingness to inflict economic pain on nations around the world, including the U.S., by narrowing the Strait of Hormuz with each American strike.
Trump, consequently, has backed off from an overwhelming military response as Americans across the country feel pressure at the gas pump and struggle with stubbornly high inflation. Voters have named the cost of living as one of their greatest concerns since the pandemic.
“President Trump, of course, certainly does not want to return to all-out war because he does not wanna see oil prices rise, and that means gas prices will go up as well, and that’s not good for the midterm elections,” Mark Esper, one of Trump’s first-term defense secretaries, told NewsNation on Wednesday.
Gulf oil states slowed production in the war’s early months, when the Strait of Hormuz’s closure left tankers stranded. Prices shot up, leading gas retailers to charge more for a product commonly viewed as an economic benchmark. The average price for a gallon is $3.88, according to AAA data.
Trump, appearing exasperated with Iran’s leverage, has demanded lower gas prices and ordered investigations into companies selling high.
“The big Oil Companies are not dropping their price at the pump commensurate with the sharply lower prices they are paying for Oil. Those prices are dropping like a rock!” he said in a Truth Social post last month. “In other words, customers are being ‘gouged.’ I have instructed the DOJ to immediately start looking into this.”
Iran’s violations of the ceasefire aren’t helping the president’s pursuit of a more favorable political and economic environment. Tehran has struck targets around the region in what it’s described as counterattacks to American and Israeli aggression.
Trump’s negotiators have stuck around through it all, hoping to reach a permanent deal that could build momentum for the president and his party as the second half of his final term approaches.
“His hand will become freer after the election for sure, and the Iranians know that,” Esper added. “So, this is the Iranians’ time of maximum negotiation—get what they can now, because, after November 4th, arguably when he doesn’t have to worry about the politics and economics, he can really unleash the United States military once again after Iran if that’s the case.”
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