Iran war: Why US midterms could be a pivotal moment

As the United States and Iran exchanged attacks this week, one date was increasingly looming over the conflict.The US midterm elections on November 3 could prove a pivotal moment in the war, as senior advisers to President Donald Trump seek to prevent the conflict from returning to all-out war before the polls when Republicans will be defending narrow majorities in both houses of Congress.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4US Vice President JD Vance declines to offer timeline for end of Iran warlist 2 of 4Why did Trump meet with anti-Zionist Jewish leaders?list 3 of 4Missouri Supreme Court blocks Trump-backed map from November’s midtermslist 4 of 4In southern Lebanon, Israeli demolitions continue ‘day and night’end of listThe push for restraint comes as Washington turns to economic pressure on Iran instead of military force. In August, the Trump administration announced its so-called “Economic D-Day”, imposing sanctions on 60 entities that it says facilitate oil revenues for trade with Iran and threatening other countries doing business with Tehran with secondary sanctions.At the same time, the US naval blockade of Iranian ports in and around the Strait of Hormuz continu...