NEW YORK: President Donald Trump has said he expects a deal with Iran after the November midterms, while a former US diplomat says election timing may be influencing the current pause.
Trump told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday that he believed Washington and Tehran would reach an agreement after the election.
He said Iran was waiting to see how Republicans performed, but denied that the election affected his own Iran decisions. UN Transcripts
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, meanwhile, rejected US pressure but kept the door open to diplomacy. The two sides also resumed indirect contacts in New York after months without talks. United Nations
Ludovic Hood, a Hudson Institute senior fellow and former US diplomat, said the approaching elections may partly explain Washington’s restraint.
Hood told Iran International that Trump could face another decision over military escalation after the midterms or early next year. He presented that as an assessment rather than a confirmed administration plan. Iran International | Iran International
Read: Araghchi UNGA Visit Begins as Iran Delegation Reaches New York
Trump’s own public position is more nuanced. Although he predicted a post-election agreement, he told the UN that the midterms did not enter his thinking on Iran. UN Transcripts
Hood also cautioned against assuming military pressure would automatically produce political change in Tehran. He pointed instead to sanctions.
Read: Trump Rejects Iran Peace Plan to Reopen Hormuz, WSJ Reports
Falling revenue and domestic pressures as factors that could affect Iran over time. US and Iranian contacts continued in New York, but no breakthrough had been announced.
Donald Trump has said he expects a deal with Iran after the November midterms, while former US diplomat Ludovic Hood says election timing may be limiting Trump’s willingness to escalate.
