Trump Says He Is in No Rush to Decide on Resuming Iran Strikes as Midterms Near

President Donald Trump said in a Monday phone interview with Axios that he is in no hurry to decide whether to resume fighting against Iran, a day before the US midterm elections on 3 November. Trump said the US will do something one way or the other, and argued Iran has been crippled financially, with no money or gasoline and a population growing tired of the situation. Axios reported that, for now, he appears to be pursuing negotiations alongside the option of renewed military action. The war began about eight months ago. Officials have leaked plans for a new round of joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran's underground nuclear facilities, missile arsenals and civilian infrastructure, and the Pentagon has floated a multi-day attack to push Iran toward concessions in stalled talks. Trump held the last of his 28 midterm rallies in Salina, Kansas, on Sunday. As of Monday morning, Kalshi gave Democrats a 74 percent chance of winning the Senate and 94 percent for the House, and a Morning Consult poll found 56 percent of voters disapprove of Trump and 41 percent approve.

The Guardian US, in a column by Mohamad Bazzi, looks past the election to ask whether Trump will relaunch the war, describing it as a disastrous conflict Trump started. It stresses voter anger over energy prices, the leaked strike plans and the Pentagon rationale, and argues bombing would not bring a deal. It does not open with Trump's interview remarks. Daily Mail and Newsmax lead with those remarks. Newsmax's headline highlights Trump's claim that economic pressure has weakened Tehran, and its excerpt adds that diplomacy is continuing. Daily Mail quotes his financial-pressure comments but frames the war as unpopular and adds Kalshi odds, the Morning Consult numbers, criticism of his Lincoln Memorial event and the Kansas rally. Both sides treat the election as the backdrop and report no decision yet. They differ in that the left offers analysis of military action's limits, while the right presents Trump's own account. Axios, the source of the interview, largely matches the right's reporting.