Trump says no Iran deal before midterms as Tehran waits out US vote
Donald Trump has said there is no chance of an Iran deal until after the US midterms, as Tehran is reportedly waiting out the vote to weaken him and his party.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Donald Trump's handling of the Iran conflict is under scrutiny as the US midterms shape both Washington's room for manoeuvre and Tehran's calculations. His latest comments at the UN General Assembly have intensified the debate, after he said there was no chance of a deal with Iran until after the elections.
The remarks were described as a concession that Iran is dictating the course of negotiations. Tehran is said to want to embarrass Trump before the vote and to maximise Republican damage. US intelligence has reportedly assessed that the Iranian government has its eye on the midterms and believes it only needs to hold out until then.
Trump's domestic position is weak. He is at 29% in the polls, below 30 for the first time, according to the figures cited. Only George Bush is said to have fallen as low as 25. Trump is seen as a drag on his party, and the Iran conflict is a particular liability. Critics point to the war as a foreign policy disaster, a betrayal of his no-new-wars promise, and a source of high gas prices that is turning off Trump voters and independents.
At the UN, Trump was also said to have made a threat against Iran that was blood chilling and unprecedented. He asked whether he should annihilate a country and whether he should do it quickly, according to the account.
After the midterms, two paths were outlined. One is that Trump declares victory and walks away, even if the Strait of Hormuz remains under Iranian control. The other is that a humiliated president, with no more elections to face, escalates and acts on threats he has so far not carried out.
With Trump below 30% in the polls and his party facing midterm pressure, the Iran file remains unresolved. Tehran appears content to wait, while Washington is left debating whether the president will withdraw or intensify the conflict once the elections are over.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | ITV |
|---|---|
| Donald Trump said there was no chance of a deal with Iran until after the midterm elections. | |
| Trump's approval stood at 29%, below 30 for the first time. | |
| US intelligence believed Iran was waiting for the midterms to damage Republicans and gain leverage over Trump. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The programme treated the Iran story as a domestic political crisis for Trump rather than a purely foreign policy issue. It focused on his UN threats, his admission that no deal would come before the midterms, and the electoral damage from gas prices and his broken no-new-wars promise. It also raised the risk that a weakened or humiliated Trump could escalate after the vote.
- “there was literally no chance of a deal till after the midterms”
- “conceding that it is Tehran that is now dictating the course of negotiations”
- “I think that language he used in the UN was blood chilling and absolutely unprecedented.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.