President Donald Trump stated that the United States will remain in the conflict with Iran until after the November midterm elections, predicting gas prices will fall and comparing the situation to Venezuela, where oil companies have moved in.
President Donald Trump addressed the ongoing military campaign during a weekend visit to Ireland, offering a timeline for the conflict’s conclusion while drawing parallels to South America. According to reporting, the American leader expects the hostilities to wind down following the upcoming legislative contests.
Midterm Elections and Fuel Prices in the Strait of Hormuz
The military engagement, operating under the designation Operation “Furia Épica”, has now entered its seventh month with intense exchanges centered around the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway previously handled a fifth of global crude supplies before the war, which began in February. Reports noted that despite a memorandum signed on June 18 between the United States and Iran to establish a 60-day window for a final settlement—a deadline that concluded on August 17—escalating hostilities have left diplomatic channels strained.
Speaking to journalists in Ireland on Sunday, September 13, Trump maintained that his political supporters are proud that he did not allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon, dismissing suggestions that his base feels discouraged by the protracted campaign. Trump noted during an interview with Fox News and host Laura Ingraham that he does not accept the word “regret” and would do the same thing again if he had to repeat it.
Donald Trump, President of the United States, stated that he does not accept the word regret, that one can always doubt oneself, and that if he had to do it over again, he would do the same thing.
Trump had also made a similar prediction on September 9, suggesting that Tehran was attempting to influence the U.S. election. Two days prior to his Sunday remarks, Trump had given a blunt definition stating the war would last until after the elections on November 3, arguing that Tehran sought his defeat and that the war would lose political meaning for Iran after the comicios. On Sunday, September 13, Trump reiterated to reporters in Ireland that it would end right after the midterm elections and that gas would drop like a rock, adding that Iran is so eager to make a deal, is calling constantly, wants to make a deal, needs to make the right deal, and he is not going to make a deal that is not good.
Comparisons to Venezuela and Regional Diplomacy
Expanding on his administration’s foreign policy approach, reports highlighted a striking comparison made by the American president regarding energy resources and foreign intervention. Trump suggested that American forces would depart unless Washington opted to retain the petroleum, as done in Venezuela.
Donald Trump, President of the United States, stated that in the end they will pull out of Iran unless they decide to stay and keep the oil, just like in Venezuela, noting that people no longer talk about Venezuela, that they receive thousands upon thousands of billions of dollars, and that they paid for the war many times over.
Trump also described Venezuela as having been a very sad country where people were living a difficult situation, noting that now oil companies are entering, a tremendous amount of money is being earned, people are very happy, and thousands of jobs are being created. When questioned about the possibility of elections in Venezuela, where the United States has backed acting president Delcy Rodríguez after capturing Nicolás Maduro in January, Trump remarked that elections will happen when they are ready.
Meanwhile, the wider regional situation involves multiple fronts. The war in Yemen is intensifying with Saudi Arabia increasingly compromised and Houthi attacks increasing against vessels in Bab el-Mandeb, a parallel shipping route to Hormuz. Simultaneously, the military conflict between Israel and Palestine in the West Bank intensifies, leading a dozen OECD countries—including Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Iceland, Norway, Poland, Portugal, and Sweden—to apply sanctions against products from Israeli settlements. The Israeli election, in which Netanyahu will put his post on the line, is scheduled for October 27, and until then the Israeli government is likely to maintain a policy of increasing the conflict, while Trump needs a diplomatic agreement or truce for the midterm election on November 4, exactly one week later.
In another diplomatic track, the United States seeks to reactivate its mediating role in the war between Russia and Ukraine. Following a tour to Moscow by CIA Chief John Ratcliffe and visits to both Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky by Trump’s two special delegates for mediation—his son-in-law Jared Kushner and Steve Witcoff—there were no concrete advances, only signals that dialogue remains open without enthusiasm. Zelensky reiterated his request for anti-air capable drones and Patriot missiles, while Ukraine has simultaneously lost deliveries from the United States and Europe due to the exhaustion of U.S. reserves caused by the war with Iran. Russia continues facing attacks on fuel supply plants and communication routes while confirming its resilience to casualties, and Ukraine faces growing recruitment problems and internal opposition asking for elections.
The Outlook for Regional Talks and Oil Markets
As international attention turns to upcoming diplomatic discussions, Iranian media sources point toward a scheduled meeting on Monday in Oman involving Oman, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Iraq concerning the future of the Strait of Hormuz, through which a fifth of global crude passed before the war began in February. Regarding this meeting, Trump stated that he does not care, that it is up to them, that it is fine, as long as Israel, along with the nations they are talking about, are happy, and that it is fine.
However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi affirmed on Sunday that the agreement reached with Oman regarding the Strait of Hormuz, to be announced on Monday, will not mean the reopening of this route unless the United States resumes the commitments acquired in the memorandum of understanding for peace signed in June.
Trump remained adamant that energy costs will drop significantly once the electoral cycle concludes, maintaining his timeline for the end of the conflict.
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