Trump says he will not attack Iran before the midterm election

By Alayna Treene, Kevin Liptak, CNN

(CNN) — President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he has no plans to strike Iran before the midterm election.

“We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd,” Trump declared on Truth Social, adding that the administration is “having productive discussions” with Tehran and that his main goal is to ensure the country does not obtain a nuclear weapon.

The president’s comments come after multiple media reports detailed the administration planning for potential new strikes before the elections — just 26 days away.

Trump emphasized that he plans to keep up economic pressure on Iran, saying the blockade of Iranian ports “will remain in full force and effect.” The administration has favored economic punishment over military strikes for months, though it’s seemingly done little to motivate Iranian officials to negotiate.

The Treasury Department announced additional sanctions against Iran on Thursday, impacting 17 vessels that officials alleged were part of a “shadow fleet” that Iran has used to ship its oil around the world. The department concluded that they had circumvented existing US sanctions to transport millions of barrels of oil and other petrochemical products to countries across south and east Asia.

“Treasury is targeting any source of the regime’s illicit revenue, as well as its sanctions evasion schemes to move funds,” the department said in its statement announcing the new sanctions.

Trump has suggested in campaign trail remarks over the last several weeks that he is considering new military action on Iran, telling supporters he has a decision in front of him on how to proceed.

While other administration officials have claimed the war is essentially over, Trump said this week the US still has unfinished business.

“They’re a mess. But we still have to finish it off,” he said during remarks at a new shipyard in Maryland on Tuesday.

The US president has appeared reluctant to resume the war in earnest before the midterms, however, mindful of the political downsides that could come with renewing an already unpopular conflict. Officials also know that flareups between the US and Iran have caused spikes in oil prices, aggravating cost-of-living concerns that have dragged down Trump’s Republican allies.

Still, the president had not entirely ruled out resuming military strikes before the midterms until his post on social media Thursday, according to officials familiar with the matter. They said American military planners have been preparing options for a resumption of hostilities, including targeting Iranian energy infrastructure and nuclear targets.

Trump and top national security officials have held extensive discussions about the next steps in Iran as they work to find a way to get more ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz. Top administration officials traveled to Camp David last Friday for a discussion on Iran, including longer-term planning on the war, officials said.

Trump’s claim of “productive discussions” with Iran came after the president rejected an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz last month.

Since then, the US has sent a counterproposal that Tehran says it is considering. An Iranian news agency reported Thursday that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said officials planned to respond “within the next few days.”

This story has been updated with additional reporting and developments.

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CNN’s Adam Cancryn, Nadeen Ebrahim and Aida Karimi contributed to this report.