Trump’s Iran war now has a midterm election problem

Trump has tied the end of his war on Iran to the midterm elections. But with Iran holding firm, the political cost is mounting.United States President Donald Trump has claimed that the seven-month-long war with Iran will end “immediately after” the US midterm elections in ‌November, framing the ongoing conflict as an attempt by Tehran to influence the vote.“They’re desperate to try and affect the election,” he told reporters on Wednesday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Trump vows to be at centre of US midterms: Republican convention takeawayslist 2 of 4Benjamin Netanyahu has overseen a genocide: In his telling, he’s a victimlist 3 of 4IAEA accuses Iran of ‘noncompliance’list 4 of 4Trump promises $5,000 payouts if GOP wins midterms: Can the US afford it?end of listTrump’s latest claims of Iranian capitulation are not new. Tehran has thus far withstood sustained strikes by the US and Israel intended to eradicate its military capacity, as well as a naval blockade of Iran’s ports intended to choke the country’s economy. In late August, the US ratcheted up the economic pressure even further, threatening secondary sanctions on Iran’s trading partners.“It was a statement tha...