US President Donald Trump on Thursday 1 October 2026 suggested that the United States could resume intensive strikes on Iran after the congressional midterm elections, scheduled for next November, as indirect contacts continued between Washington and Tehran over a ceasefire and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.
Speaking to Time magazine, Trump said it was “likely that intensive strikes on Iran will resume after the midterms”, again linking the course of military operations to the US election, without specifying a possible date for resuming the strikes or the conditions that could prompt him to take that decision. The US president also pointed to limited shortages in US stocks of some types of munitions.
He also said his administration would soon restore the strategic petroleum reserve to its previous levels, amid the connection between the confrontation with Iran, energy supplies and the passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz. Trump’s remarks came days after he rejected Iran’s latest ceasefire proposal.
Trump links resumption of strikes to elections
US officials had said that the president told his aides he expected strikes on Iran to resume after the midterm elections, and that in closed-door meetings he questioned Tehran’s readiness to meet US demands.
Iran presented a seven-day plan through Qatari mediation, involving the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and the resumption of talks on its nuclear programme, in exchange for lifting the US naval blockade of its ports, suspending restrictions on Iranian oil sales, releasing frozen Iranian assets and committing to a ceasefire covering other fronts in the region.
Iran presents plan through Qatari mediation
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said the seven-day period would begin as soon as the United States accepted the plan. Trump, however, announced on 26 September that he rejected the proposal, saying its terms were unacceptable, while Qatar continued to relay messages between Washington and Tehran in an effort to narrow the gaps between them.
Despite rejecting the plan, Trump later said he expected more talks with Iran during the week, while Tehran’s proposals focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and ending the naval blockade, in return for the US administration’s insistence on obtaining concessions related to Iran’s nuclear programme.
On 9 September, Trump had offered a different assessment of the course of the confrontation, predicting that the war would end “directly” after the midterm elections. He said Iran was trying to influence the US vote and that economic pressure would limit its ability to withstand the pressure. He also linked the continued rise in oil and fuel prices in the United States at the time to the consequences of the war.
Continuing disagreements over Hormuz and military operations
Indirect negotiations are taking place amid continuing disagreement over the terms of a ceasefire and shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.
Washington believes that maintaining economic pressure could push Tehran towards an agreement, while Iran links reopening the strait to easing sanctions, lifting the blockade on its ports and halting military operations.
