Iran escalating attacks on Hormuz shipping to pressure Trump before midterms; officials say Tehran expects less sensitivity to oil prices afterward – report
Iran is stepping up attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz ahead of the November 3 midterms, expecting President Donald Trump to be less sensitive to high energy prices after the midterms, according to Iranian officials and diplomats in the region who spoke with the Washington Post.
A Western official said Iranian attacks averaged around 30 a week in September, and UK Maritime Trade Operations says Iran has attacked more than 20 vessels so far this month, one of which sank.
Iran’s national security adviser, Mohsen Rezaei, said Iran is targeting “five or six” vessels every night, even as US forces escorting traffic through the strait have pushed oil exports close to prewar averages on several days.
An Arab diplomat and a Western diplomat said some Iranian officials want to “punish” Trump in the midterms, much as the hostage crisis hurt President Jimmy Carter’s 1980 reelection bid.
“They’re obsessed,” the Arab diplomat said. “They think they can bring down a presidency.”