(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump says the United States won’t be striking Iran before the midterm elections, vowing also that Iran will never have a nuclear weapon.
Trump said the U.S. and the Islamic Republic are engaged in “productive discussions,” noting the country’s dire economic situation. Thursday marked Day 223 since America and Israel launched military strikes in Iran.
“Iran is in very bad condition, both economically and militarily, and while the blockade will remain in full force and effect, with oil flowing in record numbers of barrels through the Hormuz Strait (22 million barrels, last night alone, with not one barrel coming from, or going to, Iran!),” the president wrote on social media. “We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the midterm elections.”
The president’s comments come as the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen have been accused of attacking a civilian airport in Saudi Arabia.
The Iranians have been largely quiet in recent weeks, with some in the Iranian leadership expressing a desire to end the conflict.
Despite a desire by the Iranian leadership, Trump has said he has been weighing options against Iran, repeating that “Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
The Trump administration estimates the complete naval blockade on Iranian ports is costing the Islamic Republic’s economy between $400 and $500 million a day in economic losses, as the country cannot export oil.
The Pentagon estimates that Operation Epic Fury, which began with strikes against Iran on Feb. 28 of this year, has cost at least $33.4 billion.