Trump warns Iran may strike before US midterms, floats renaming Hormuz 'Trump Strait'
At a rally in Tennessee, the US President said Iran could launch a major military attack before the 3 November midterm elections and that renaming the Strait of Hormuz was being considered.
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With the United States midterm elections on 3 November drawing near, President Donald Trump has voiced a serious concern that Iran could carry out a major international military attack before the vote. He made the remark while addressing a large political rally in Tennessee, traditionally regarded as a Republican stronghold.
Trump claimed that Iran considers Washington weak and is therefore trying to inflict political and strategic damage on the United States. According to him, the American administration is certain that Iran's leadership wrongly believes the US would come under pressure if an attack took place during the elections. Speaking sharply, Trump said the American military has the full strength to end this war very quickly and decisively.
In the same speech, Trump also made a controversial remark about the Strait of Hormuz. He said that, in view of the tension in the region, the American administration is considering renaming the waterway "Trump Strait". He indicated that the step could be taken to show the influence of the US Navy on this key sea route in West Asia and to send Iran a military message. Trump has said earlier that the military confrontation with Iran will be ended within a short time after the result of the 3 November election.
Speaking on the condition of the Iranian navy, Trump said his administration had shown considerable restraint towards Iran so far. He claimed that the American military has sunk 159 Iranian ships since the war began in late February. He said: "The Iranian administration does not know how well I have treated them."
The war began on 28 February, when the United States and Israel jointly carried out a major attack on Iran. Iran's then Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, was killed in that attack. Tehran then launched a barrage of missile and drone attacks across the region, as a result of which the Strait of Hormuz, described as the backbone of international oil shipping, was effectively closed.
Because of the war, which has run for more than seven months, commercial movement of crude oil through this most important waterway in the world has come to a complete halt. As a result, energy prices and inflation have risen sharply across the world, including in India, Europe and the United States. In June this year, the US and Iran signed a preliminary framework agreement for a ceasefire, but the talks proved inconclusive and tension flared up again.
The war has now become the biggest issue in American domestic politics and in the Congressional midterm elections. Trump is facing political challenges at home, yet he is campaigning aggressively across the country to retain the Republican Party's majority in both houses.
