Trump rules out Iran attack after midterms as Tehran outlines diplomatic plan

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that the United States would not attack Iran after the midterm elections, responding to a question from an NBC reporter during a speech at the Washington Reflecting Pool. His remarks came a day before elections that will decide control of Congress, amid renewed diplomatic efforts to restore a truce.

Trump had also indicated in other comments that he saw no urgency in resuming attacks. In an Axios interview released on Monday before his speech, he said financial pressure had severely weakened Iran and asserted that its population was growing weary of the situation. In a separate social media post ahead of Tuesday's vote, he said Iran wanted an agreement quickly and suggested one was possible.

Many commentators speculated that Trump's remarks were intended to reassure voters before the elections. Polls indicated that his Republican Party could suffer a substantial setback as voters expressed frustration with rising prices, driven in part by the US-Israeli war on Iran.

The comments followed a warning by conservative podcast host Tucker Carlson, who alleged on X that Trump was considering using nuclear weapons against Iran at the urging of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Carlson's warning had attracted more than 70 million views by Monday evening. Although he has publicly broken with Trump, Carlson retains connections with administration officials and is a close friend of Vice President JD Vance.

Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, dropped seven percent on Monday to $104 a barrel. Prices had climbed in recent weeks as markets anticipated renewed US-Israeli attacks on Iran. Experts and diplomats have warned that Iran would likely respond to an attack with strikes across the Gulf's energy-rich region. Trump described Monday's oil decline as a record and predicted further falls, attributing the movement to US success against Iran.

Oil had already begun falling after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said his government was working through mediators to renew a truce with Washington. Media reports and flight-tracking information showed Qatari mediators travelling between Doha and Iran in recent days. Senior Iranian officials said efforts focused on restoring a ceasefire that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi described intensive discussions through intermediaries, according to comments reported by Iran's state media outlet IRNA. He said Tehran had submitted its conditions and proposals, with further progress dependent on Washington's political judgment. Foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that Iran had a seven-step diplomatic proposal that could be put into effect within two days.

The proposal calls for Washington to lift its blockade of Iranian ports, Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a US waiver for Iranian oil sales and the cancellation of new sanctions, followed by nuclear talks. The two countries reached a ceasefire in the spring and subsequently signed a 14-point memorandum intended to advance negotiations, but it was never implemented. Those talks broke down partly because Washington was reluctant to accept Iranian control over traffic through the strait.