According to the Wall Street Journal, citing US officials, Trump told his aides that he expects to launch a new round of bombing raids against Iran after the US midterm elections in November. Previously, Trump stated at the UN General Assembly that if no agreement could be reached, he was considering whether to "completely destroy" Iran and "send them to hell." At the same time, Trump also stated that he believed an agreement to end the conflict would be reached shortly after the midterm elections.
Paul Musgrave, an associate professor of government at Georgetown University in Qatar, said that Trump "does not want to end this war on unfavorable terms," and the outcome of the November elections is likely to influence his subsequent policy direction.
Musgrave stated that if Trump's Republican Party suffers a major defeat in the elections and loses its majority in Congress, he might choose to take "unilateral action, which could include resuming military action. This would also mean that Iran would deal a rather heavy political blow to President Trump." He added that this could lead to an escalation of the situation in the short term, "followed by a renewed negotiation phase to avoid the White House appearing to be surrendering outright."
