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The president donald trump He said he hoped the war with Iran would end after the US midterm elections in November and again threatened to attack a facility linked to the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program after both sides launched their biggest wave of attacks on shipping since the start of the six-month-old war.
Tension in the region was high, and Saudi civil defense authorities issued emergency alerts on Thursday in the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait for the fourth time in 24 hours, as clashes with the Iran-backed Yemeni Houthis intensified.
Brent crude prices remained above $100 a barrel as supply routes through both the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea remained severely disrupted.
Iran said it had attacked ten ships near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after the US sank five Iranian oil tankers, the latest in a series of retaliatory attacks that have highlighted there is little chance of hostilities ending imminently.
The war and the resulting rise in fuel prices have contributed to Trump’s popularity falling to historic lows. The president said Tehran was trying to influence the US midterm elections in November, which will determine whether his Republican Party retains control of Congress.
“I think the war will end immediately after the elections because they can’t take it anymore. They are desperate to try to influence the elections,” he declared. trump to reporters on Wednesday.
trump He had previously set deadlines for the end of the war.
The Wall Street Journal later reported that senior White House aides, including Vice President, J.D. Vance and the Secretary of State, Marco Rubiohave privately warned trump that the conflict could last until the end of his term, which ends in January 2029. Reuters could not immediately verify this information.
trump He also said the US could attack Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, a heavily fortified site that houses two deeply buried tunnel complexes near the damaged Natanz uranium enrichment facility.
“We have observed that there is some activity in Pickaxe. I would advise Iran not to get smart, because we will have to attack them very hard,” he said. trump in a speech given at the midterm Republican convention. Trump has been threatening to launch attacks on Pickaxe Mountain since at least mid-July.
The United States and Israel launched military strikes against Iran in February, partly due to concerns about Tehran’s nuclear program.
Iran claims its nuclear activities have peaceful penalties.
In recent weeks, Washington had highlighted growing success in sailing oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a fifth of pre-war oil supplies flowed. However, the resumption of fighting this month appears to have slowed that gradual reopening. Only seven ships transited the strait on Wednesday, half the average for the past 10 days, according to preliminary ship tracking data released Thursday.
Fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis in Yemen has also intensified in recent days, a second front of war that threatens global energy supplies from the Middle East.
At least 73 people were injured in four cities in southern Saudi Arabia, including Khamis Mushait, in recent Houthi attacks on the world’s largest oil exporter, the Saudi-led coalition said Tuesday.
The militant group claimed to have attacked an air base in the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait and oil infrastructure in nearby towns, one of the largest attacks on Saudi Arabia since the start of the US-Israel war against Iran in February.
Saudi civil defense authorities on Thursday concluded another emergency alert declared in Khamis Mushait.
