US midterms: A pivotal moment in the Iran conflict

The US midterm elections on November 3 are a pivotal factor in the Iran conflict, with President Donald Trump's advisers seeking to avoid all-out war before the vote, as Republicans defend narrow congressional majorities. Rising fuel prices and public opposition, with only 31 percent of Americans supporting the war per a late-August poll, pressure the administration to de-escalate. Washington is instead intensifying economic sanctions and naval blockades, while Vice President JD Vance downplays the conflict's scale. Iran may escalate deliberately to maximize political damage to Trump before the midterms, analysts warn. After the vote, officials are considering intensifying military operations, though a Republican defeat could produce a more desperate and reckless president.