President Donald Trump said Americans should expect the war against Iran to continue through November’s midterm elections, predicting the conflict will end shortly afterward. Meanwhile, the Department of War is preparing to maintain a major US military presence in the Middle East through the end of the year.
“The war will be over very shortly after the election,” the President told the Republican convention in Dallas on Wednesday. Iran is “hanging out for dear life, hoping that we lose so they can deal with dumb, weak Democrats.”
The Department of War plans to maintain at least two aircraft carrier strike groups in the Middle East through the end of the year. Currently, the USS George Washington and George HW Bush are operating in the region. The Washington recently arrived in the Middle East to relieve the USS Abraham Lincoln after a record-long deployment.
Officials told The Atlantic that the Navy is now preparing the USS Theodore Roosevelt for a deployment to the region to relieve the Washington. While Trump hopes to end the war after the midterm election, sources told the outlet that some of the President’s aides believe the war will last longer.
According to The Atlantic, Trump believes the US must regain control of the Strait of Hormuz before he can declare victory. Iran has restricted traffic through the waterway, imposed approved shipping lanes and required some vessels to pay a “service fee.” The US has attempted to break Tehran’s control by escorting tankers through the Strait.
While US officials have claimed that the amount of oil exiting the Strait is close to prewar levels, monitoring agencies say only a small fraction is getting out of the Persian Gulf.
Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz has led to a spike in global energy prices. On Wednesday, Brent crude closed at over $100 per barrel. The increase in the price of oil has hit Americans hard at the pump. The average price of a gallon of regular gasoline is now over $4, and diesel is at record highs.
Trump predicted that gas prices will quickly fall after the war ends and eventually settle below $2 per gallon.
During his speech to the Republican convention, Trump argued he had no choice but to attack Iran because Tehran was on the brink of obtaining nuclear weapons. “We have no choice, right?” He added, “Can Iran have a nuclear weapon? Absolutely not. Well, then I’m right. Then I win.”
However, the President has not presented evidence that Iran is working on a nuclear weapon. The international nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, and the US intelligence community have both assessed that Iran was not working on a nuclear weapon before the US and Israel attacked.
Additionally, before the war, Tehran offered significant restrictions on its nuclear program in exchange for US sanctions relief.
