Iran Deliberately Stalling US Talks to Weaken Trump Before Midterms, Officials Tell Reuters

Strait of Hormuz, Iran — Reuters file photo

File photo: Strait of Hormuz (Reuters)

Iran has deliberately prolonged its talks with the United States to weaken President Donald Trump politically ahead of next month's midterm elections, three senior Iranian officials and an insider told Reuters. Tehran, they said, is convinced Trump is ready to launch a new wave of strikes to break the stalemate in the eight-month-old war.

"Iran is preparing for renewed Israeli and US attacks, not for a deal with America to end the war," one of the officials said. "The clerical establishment is determined not to give Trump a political victory." With Tehran refusing concessions it believes could help Trump politically, the officials said there is little chance of a breakthrough before the November 3 elections. Keeping the situation somewhere between war and peace lets Iran maintain pressure on Washington while still professing commitment to diplomacy.

The two sides remain deadlocked over sequencing: Washington wants Iran's nuclear program on the agenda from the start, while Tehran insists its "seven-day plan" conditions must be met first — including reopening the Strait of Hormuz under Iranian control in exchange for lifting the maritime blockade and easing oil export restrictions. Trump has said the US will not bomb Iran again before November 3, but Tehran expects the bombing to resume sooner or later. As analyst Saeed Leylaz put it, "Iran is influencing the US election without taking any unlawful action."

Source: Reuters via gCaptain

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