U.S. officials have told several West Asian countries and regional allies to be prepared for potential renewed military action against Iran after next week’s midterm elections in the United States — as well as the possibility that Iran will attempt to retaliate against them, according to two diplomats briefed on the matter.
The President, however, has repeatedly said that he is weighing ordering new military action once the critical November 3 elections in the U.S. are over. U.S. President Donald Trump has not made a final decision on whether to carry out new strikes against Iran, the diplomats stressed. Trump — that the Iranians still want to see used as the basis to return to a ceasefire. The conflict has spread, with Iran-backed Houthi rebels carrying out attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure and airports. A Saudi-led coalition has responded with its own deadly attacks on Houthi-held territory in Yemen. It’s unclear how soon after Election Day that the U.S. military would be ready to potentially resume strikes. The war has proved to be a heavy weight on Republican candidates as they make their case to voters who are fatigued by rising gasoline prices, a byproduct of the war that’s driven up costs across nearly every sector in the global economy.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday (October 28, 2026) in a post on X that Tehran “continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed” and is working with mediators to review ideas that Tehran included in a proposal floated last month — summarily rejected by Mr.
Mr While campaigning for Republicans. Trump has consistently assured voters that the war’s end is near, while also threatening that a new round of bombing could be coming once the election passes. The cost of fighting the Iran war to American taxpayers has grown to $47.1 billion, according to the latest estimate the Pentagon has provided to Congress. During a campaign stop in Lubbock, Texas, on Tuesday (October 27, 2026), Mr.
Trump said a conclusive end to the eight-month-old conflict could be coming “in a couple of weeks, if you don’t mind.”
