Trump says U.S. will not attack Iran before midterm elections
Iran and its Houthi allies in Yemen launched separate attacks on Persian Gulf targets late Wednesday and Thursday, striking a tanker near Qatar and Saudi Arabia’s capital for the third straight day. By increasing attacks on shipping, Tehran is seeking to break the stalemate in the Strait of Hormuz and increase pressure on Washington to reach a diplomatic settlement, analysts said. The limited military moves could raise oil prices and pressure President Trump before the midterm elections, while stopping short of another full-scale military confrontation that even Tehran doubts it can win.
An oil and chemical tanker identified as the Acers was struck by several projectiles near Qatar late Wednesday, causing casualties, according to maritime intelligence firm Vanguard and the U.K. Maritime Trade Operations agency. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but officials in the region said Iran was likely behind it.
The tanker attack was followed by Houthi strikes Thursday in Riyadh. At least two aircraft were struck at King Khalid International Airport, including an empty commercial plane at Terminal 4, which handles domestic flights, hit in the afternoon, while dozens of incoming flights were canceled or diverted. Falling debris from an intercepted ballistic missile hit a kindergarten and a medical-clinic complex, while workers in the city’s financial district, students at international schools and diplomats were ordered to evacuate or shelter in place. Foreign students at several international schools were shaken after spending part of the afternoon sheltering in windowless rooms, said a mother who spoke to parents at several of the schools. Residents across the city said they heard at least five huge booms Thursday morning and said they received no alerts or warnings on their phones from authorities.
The Houthi military spokesman, Yahya Sare’e, said in separate statements that the airport was hit by a ballistic missile and by two cruise missiles. The Saudi-led military coalition said it had shot down two ballistic missiles Thursday. It was at least the third time the airport had been targeted since Tuesday, when Houthi officials vowed to respond to Saudi-led coalition airstrikes against their forces in Yemen.
Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, in a televised speech Thursday, said Saudi Arabia had carried out airstrikes across Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, including strikes that targeted telecommunications networks in the capital San’a, Hodeidah airport and Ibb, causing several casualties. “The fires targeting Saudi targets have not stopped, while warnings and strikes continue to escalate,” he said. “Saudi Arabia’s regime cannot achieve its objectives,” he added.
President Trump said Thursday that the U.S. will not attack Iran before the midterm elections, citing what he described as “productive” talks with Tehran. “We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections,” Trump said in the Truth Social post. He has also declined Saudi requests for direct U.S. military assistance against the Houthis, though the Pentagon is providing intelligence and other support.
Oil prices rose sharply. Brent crude, the international benchmark, settled at $104.27 a barrel, up 4.1% on the day. West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. benchmark, also rose 4.1% to $91.87 a barrel. Surging energy prices weighed on stocks and Treasury yields.
Oil producers have increasingly relied on U.S.-protected tanker movements, ship-to-ship transfers outside Hormuz and pipelines bypassing the strait entirely. Saudi Arabia has resumed exports from both its Gulf and Red Sea coasts after repairing part of the damage to its East-West pipeline following an attack last month.
U.S. officials believe deferring a decision about whether to resume military operations against Iran will increase pressure on Tehran to make major concessions, including on its nuclear program. “Iran is clearly raising the pressure, while Washington is hardening both its rhetoric and military posture, but neither side has yet abandoned diplomacy,” said Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at the School of Security Studies at King’s College London. “This is precisely what makes the moment so dangerous. Both sides are trying to improve their bargaining position while sitting only one serious incident away from a much wider war.”
The Houthis escalated long-range strikes inside Saudi Arabia after Riyadh launched a campaign to retake Houthi-held territory in Yemen that threatened Saudi ship traffic through the Bab al-Mandeb strait, the heavily traveled gateway to the Red Sea. In response to the Saudi-led counteroffensive, Houthi strikes have become a daily occurrence in Riyadh, more than 500 miles north of the fighting in Yemen. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Houthis are armed and trained by Tehran, and their escalating attacks against Saudi cities and oil facilities indicate they are less cautious than their Iranian backers.
The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has warned airlines that “recurrent missile and drone attacks, together with the activation of air-defense systems, create an increased risk of misidentification of civil aircraft.” The Houthis have repeatedly warned international airlines using Saudi airspace — except those flying over the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina — to halt flights to the kingdom. Saudi officials have warned the public since Tuesday that filming or sharing images of drone or missile attacks, or their interceptions, could bring legal charges.