Interview with Associated Press News, 25 October, 2026 -
Iran’s leadership believes that Trump likely will order new strikes regardless of the results in the midterm elections, and “they are planning for the scenarios so they can take remedial measures,” said a former government official and foreign policy professor at the University of Tehran, Sasan Karimi.
“They’ve accepted that he will attack us again, before or after the elections,” Karimi said.
Iran has again threatened U.S. military bases and allies in the Middle East, and has warned that it could attack new targets, including undersea data cables that snake through the Strait of Hormuz. This month has seen the highest number of reported attacks on commercial ships transiting the strait since the war’s opening weeks in March.
Meanwhile, a U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports has restricted oil exports on which Iran’s government depends, increasing the economic pain as each side tries to outlast the other. Trucks have piled up at borders as Iran’s trade shifts to overland.
The blockade has caused medicine shortages in Iran, though there is no sign of shortages of food or other essential goods. Iranians have seen livelihoods and purchasing power crumble as their currency’s value has reached record lows, losing much of its value in the past year. Inflation has soared.
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