President Donald Trump told reporters on Wednesday evening that the war in Iran “will end very soon,” asserting the conflict would conclude “as soon as I want it to end.” He added that Iran would “never have a nuclear weapon” and that oil prices would “drop like a rock.”

The Iran remarks mark a renewed focus on the conflict after weeks in which Trump had shifted attention to Ukraine. Trump has in recent weeks suggested that Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries are responsible for rising fuel prices at US pumps. According to the Guardian, the renewed Iran messaging reflects the impact at the polls of rising prices for daily goods and gas at the tank.

Economic concerns have become a central issue in the run-up to the midterms. The exclusive Harris poll for the Guardian found three in four Americans are now concerned about the potential for a recession. Voting groups that are key to winning votes in the midterms are increasingly disenchanted with the economy, according to the survey.

Separately, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he felt “betrayed” by the United States after Ukraine’s military access to Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite service was restricted. Trump has denied that the administration has cut intelligence sharing with Ukraine, but Musk suggested on X that the US government was behind the Starlink restrictions.

In other developments, James Talarico, the Texas Democratic nominee for Senate, faced questions from undecided voters at a town hall on a range of issues including Gaza and his faith, emphasizing his aspiration to put residents above party allegiance. Trump’s new press secretary Katie Zacharia is facing scrutiny over her claims that she is a lawyer; while she has clarified some of the questions, the central one — whether she has ever passed the bar — remains.