Trump aides push to keep war ‘quiet’ amid midterms

By Sohail Khan 2 September 2026, 5:50 pm

Benchmarks
Nifty23,914.45-141.35

Precious Metal
Gold (MCX) (Rs/10g.)151,088.00-641.0

Enter search text:

Business News›News›International›Global Trends›Trump aides, fearing a midterm elections rout, push to keep Iran war 'quiet' for now

Read Today's Paper

Trump aides, fearing a midterm elections rout, push to keep Iran war 'quiet' for now
Synopsis

President Trump's aides seek to prevent Iran war escalation before elections. They are focusing on economic pressure to achieve concessions from Iran. This strategy faces challenges as both nations engage in recent retaliatory strikes. Military officials warn that prolonging the conflict strains munitions stockpiles. The administration aims to maintain a quiet approach until after the November vote.

Trump tells aides he is willing to end Iran war without reopening Hormuz, WSJ reports — US midterm elections: American President Donald Trump at the White House

WASHINGTON: Top aides to President Donald Trump are pushing to keep the Iran war from escalating before November's midterm elections to staunch Republican electoral losses, four people familiar with the discussions said, a strategy that is already under strain as the United States and Iran resume their back-and-forth attacks.

White House officials will consider ramping up military action after the November 3 vote, said the sources, who requested anonymity to describe internal thinking, though any return to full-scale conflict is far from a given.

For now, they said, the administration is focused on tightening the economic pressure on Iran in an effort to extract concessions in any future negotiation that months of military action failed to secure.

"We are keeping the pressure on Iran," one White House official said. "But November is a priority."

Keeping the war mostly contained until then would help prevent the unpopular conflict from dominating the news as Trump's Republicans campaign to defend thin majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives, said the sources, three of whom are ‌White House officials.

You Might Also Like:

Kevin Warsh's Jackson Hole encore may put Trump's inflation record under a microscope

Only 31% of ⁠Americans approve of ⁠the war, while some 63% disapprove, according to a late August Reuters/Ipsos poll, and voters are particularly unhappy about high gas prices.

A tactical pause could also give the U.S. military some breathing room to replenish its heavily depleted munitions stockpiles, the sources said.

But pulling off the play-it-cool strategy looks more difficult by the day. While the conflict remains much less intense than it was during the spring or during a flare-up in the middle of the summer, both sides have exchanged tit-for-tat strikes in recent days.

Iran's leaders, emboldened after months of disrupting traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and facing little internal unrest, will likely keep striking at U.S. and allied Gulf targets, including military bases, vessels and energy infrastructure, at least periodically, analysts said.

You Might Also Like:

America In Focus: Key inflation gauge remains high; Fed's Warsh signals rate hikes may be needed

The U.S. will face pressure to retaliate, potentially leading to an escalatory spiral that brings both sides back to a full-scale air war – whether or not the administration wants it.

Over the weekend, the U.S. struck rocket launchers on Iran's Larak Island after a month of relative calm, prompting Iran to fire missiles toward Jordan and the United Arab Emirates. On Tuesday, the U.S. hit more Iranian targets around the Strait of Hormuz.

"The regime has every ⁠incentive to ‌disrupt the 'calm' – which is no real calm, after all, since the administration's explicit aim is to increase economic pressure massively on Iran," said Barbara Leaf, who served as the top State Department official for the Middle East under former President Joe Biden.

Another wild card is Trump himself.

You Might Also Like:

Trump keeps teasing a third term, but is suddenly talking like a president on his way out

The president's approval rating has fallen from 40% to 33% since the conflict began, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling. Sources said he is not ⁠currently interested in escalation, but he is famously prone to changing his mind and could change course in response to events.

Trump threatened on Tuesday to escalate the conflict if Iran hits back against the latest U.S. strikes.

"If the failed Nation of Iran retaliates for this very justified attack, they will be hit again at a much harder and higher level, but it will not be the biggest attack of them all, that is waiting in the wings," he wrote on his Truth Social platform.

CONSTRAINED BY LOGISTICS AND POLITICS

Trump has publicly said the upcoming elections were not factoring into this Iran strategy.

But as the war enters its seventh month, his White House finds itself increasingly constrained by logistical and political realities.

"The timetable has changed," one senior White House official said. Another added that the "calendar is driving Iran."

Reuters reported in August that the military had used "virtually all" of its supply of certain precision missiles. On Sunday, the Washington Post reported that the heads of the Army, Navy and Air Force warned Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth in a written assessment that prolonging the war was unsustainable and would diminish the military's readiness in other theaters.

The Pentagon has said the military had "everything it needs to execute" its mission.

"President Trump has destroyed Iran's military ‌capabilities and is crippling what's left of its abysmal economy with the most powerful naval blockade in world history and crushing sanctions," White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said. "The President will continue to advance America's interests at home and abroad and will never allow Iran to have a nuclear weapon."

America's Gulf allies — some of whom had pushed for aggressive action against Iran earlier in the war to weaken their main regional adversary — roundly urged the White House to deescalate after a ⁠recent round of attacks in late July, regional diplomats said.

Currently, two White House officials said, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are among the high-ranking Trump aides who are on board with the idea of trying to keep the Iran conflict relatively "quiet" until November.

In recent weeks, administration officials have instead intensified an economic isolation campaign, during which the U.S. has threatened to slap countries that trade with Iran with massive sanctions, while maintaining its own blockade on the Strait of Hormuz.

The trade-focused strategy, however, has its own limits, analysts and officials said.

Iran has spent decades under layers of U.S. and international sanctions that have battered its economy but have not deterred its leadership.

On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the pressure campaign may cause Iran to lash out militarily, raising the prospect that the economic campaign could itself stoke military escalation.

Additionally, some major world powers, like China, have not joined Washington's bid to isolate Iran, prompting questions about the campaign's effectiveness.

"The purpose of the new sanctions package is meant to add economic pressure on top of that being caused by the blockade to force Iran back to the table, after the administration determined it was a better option than returning to kinetic action," said Alex Plitsas, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

"Iran is concerned about it, but China has already indicated that it's not willing to play ball, which calls into question how effective it will be."

Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source
Add Now!

(You can now subscribe to our WhatsApp channel)

(You can now subscribe to our WhatsApp channel)

Read More News on
US military depletionglobal sanctions on IranDonald TrumpIran warUS midterm electionsUS midterm elections livemidterm elections NovemberRepublicans vs DemocratsUS politicsScott Bessent

Enter search text:

Continue reading with one of these options:
Limited Access
Free
Login to get access to some exclusive stories

& personalised newsletters
Login Now

Unlimited Access
Starting @ Rs120/month
Get access to exclusive stories, expert opinions &

in-depth stock reports
Subscribe Now

Unlock Access to All Exclusives with ETPrime FREE TRIAL

15 Days Free: Unlock All ETPrime Exclusives, Market Tools & ePapers

Trial offer expiring in00 : 05 : 00

I'd rather pay ₹2599 now

Uh-oh! This is an exclusive story available for selected readers only.

Worry not. You’re just a step away.

Prime Account Detected!

It seems like you're already an ETPrime member with

Log out of your current logged-in account and log in again using your ET Prime credentials to enjoy all member benefits.

Unlock ETPrime's Exclusive Stories Today!

Subscribe to gain powerful insights on business, stock market and industry trends.

Big Price Drop! Flat 40% Off

Student Only Offer

Already a Member? Sign In now

Already a Member? Sign In now
Already a Member? Sign In now

Offer Exclusively For You

Save up to Rs. 700/-

ON ET PRIME MEMBERSHIP

Avail Offer

Offer Exclusively For You

Get 1 Year Free

With 1 and 2-Year ET prime membership

Avail Offer

Offer Exclusively For You

Get 1 Year Free

With 1 and 2-Year ET prime membership

Avail Offer

Offer Exclusively For You

Get Flat 40% Off

Then ₹ 1749 for 1 year

Avail Offer

Offer Exclusively For You

ET Prime at ₹ 49 for 1 month

Then ₹ 1749 for 1 year

Avail Offer

Special Offer

Get flat 40% off on ETPrime

Avail Offer
Avail Offer

Claim NowAlready a Member? Sign In now

Need Assistance?

Connect with an ETPrime expert for personalized support and guidance

+91 9484700004

' + h3 + '

' + h4 + '

' + listing + '

What’s Included with

ETPrime Membership

1Exclusive Insights That Matter

Uncover the truth with our investigative stories

Make strategic moves using the real-world case studies

Read industry-specific stories to identify emerging trends

Spot opportunities with in-depth insights that matter

Trump temper on H-1B visas is forcing Indians to do these things to stay put in US

What Adani’s US indictment means for India Inc’s overseas fundraising
Why veterans like Reliance, L&T are on acquisition spree? Aswath Damodaran has an answer.

Will China’s dollar bond sale in Saudi Arabia trump the US in financial world?
Huawei launches its own OS to compete with Google and Apple. But can it win beyond China?

The problem with lab grown diamonds
Why a falling rupee is a better option for the economy

A list of top 20 momentum stocks that have delivered massive returns in one year