Trump weighs escalate, hold or exit options on Iran after midterm losses
After Republican midterm losses tied in part to the Iran war, the president faces choices analysts describe as more strikes, a negotiated off-ramp or sticking with the naval blockade and sanctions.
As of 7:29 a.m. ET, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026
President Donald Trump is weighing what to do next in the roughly eight-month-old war with Iran after Republican midterm losses that he and Vice President JD Vance have linked in part to the conflict, The Associated Press reported.
For weeks, Trump had threatened to return to a fuller bombardment of Iran after the U.S. elections if Tehran did not accept terms he found acceptable, AP reported. Speaking Wednesday after the results, he largely agreed with Vance's assessment that the war hurt Republicans, then stood by the decision.
"It's largely true because it drove gasoline up a little bit," Trump said, according to AP. "At the same time, if I had to do it again, I'd do it again." He also said of the war: "I can tell you that as far as that war is concerned I would have done nothing different," AP reported.
Escalate, status quo or off-ramp
Analysts described to AP a decision frame with several paths. One is to keep something close to the current posture — what the U.S. military calls "defensive strikes," plus a naval blockade meant to restrict Iranian oil, former CIA Middle East analyst Brian Haggerty told AP. Another is a sharper strike on Iran's underground Pickaxe Mountain nuclear-linked facility, followed by a limited agreement that restores Hormuz navigation and some sanctions relief, said David Schenker, who was assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs in Trump's first term, according to AP. A third path would be large-scale attacks on Iranian infrastructure that Trump has previously threatened, AP reported.
Brent crude fell below $95 a barrel Wednesday, its lowest in two months, a signal markets do not expect major new strikes, AP reported. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pressed for renewed strikes in a weekend call with Trump, who would not commit, a person briefed on the call told AP.
AP Voter Poll: war mattered, not as the top issue
About 6 in 10 midterm voters said the United States made the "wrong decision" in taking military action against Iran, according to the AP Voter Poll of more than 100,000 voters. Only about one-third said the war in Iran was "crucial" to how they voted for Congress — well below the roughly half who said that about the cost of living or government corruption, AP reported.
About 6 in 10 voters nationally said they were "very concerned" about gasoline and diesel costs, the poll showed.
