Decrease article font size Increase article font size US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he will not order the resumption of military strikes against Iran before the November 3 US midterm elections. Trump, while defending Republicans this week, hinted that he was confident the end of the war would come in the days before or after the election, while hinting that he remained open to resuming large-scale military operations against Iran. 1:34 Iran war weighs heavily on American voters ahead of midterms For weeks, Trump has been threatening that a post-midterm escalation in the seven-month-old war remains a viable option, despite his initial promises to Americans of a military campaign that would last a few weeks. But Trump, in a social media post on Thursday, said the United States “will not attack Iran at any time before the midterm elections in the United States on November 3.” Get daily national news Get daily Canadian news delivered to your inbox so you never miss the day’s top stories. Trump added that his team has been “having productive conversations with the Islamic Republic of Iran.” 3:12 Trump says he would be willing to sacrifice Los Angeles or San Diego to win the Iran war. Negotiations appeared stalled since Trump late last month publicly rejected Iran’s proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in seven days if the United States met certain conditions. However, Iran said last week that it had received a counterproposal from the United States. And Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Thursday he expected Tehran to offer a formal response within days. More on US news More videos Trump’s post comes as the military has sent more resources to the region. U.S. officials have said a third aircraft carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, and thousands of troops aboard and accompanying ships could arrive as early as late October. Trump’s announcement came the same day the USS Abraham Lincoln was due to arrive at its home port in San Diego after a record-breaking deployment in support of the Iran war. There have been reports of crew stress and poor mental health, as well as shortages of supplies, including food and hygiene products. The USS George Washington, usually based in Asia, relieved the Lincoln in August. The other aircraft carrier in the Middle East, the USS George HW Bush, has been deployed for about six months, but arrived in Phuket, Thailand, for a port visit several days ago. © 2026 The Canadian Press