The White House · Report · File No. 261102-773
Trump says he is in no rush to decide on restarting the Iran war, a day before midterms
Trump told Israel's Channel 12 he has not decided whether to resume fighting with Iran. Voters and military families go into Tuesday's election with no answer.
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President Trump is in no hurry to decide whether to restart the war with Iran, according to Israel's Channel 12, which published its report Monday. The station says he has not made a final decision 13. The election is Tuesday.
Trump told the station that U.S. pressure is hurting Iran. "We are paralyzing their economy," he said, according to an English rendering of his comments 3. He also said Iran's leaders show less urgency than he expected, though he said they want a deal more than at any point since the war began 3.
Trump said talks mediated by Qatar are going well. But he said the U.S. is not sure who is making decisions in Iran, and he does not want to be misled again 13. He also said that at some point the U.S. will have to give Iran "the hammer" 3.
Advisers are split three ways
Channel 12 reports that Trump's advisers are divided. Some advisers and most Gulf leaders favor a diplomatic deal. Others want to resume fighting to finish military goals 1.
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A third group, led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, wants to keep the naval blockade and sanctions and wait weeks or months to see whether Iran softens 1. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu favors resuming the fight. He reportedly pressed Trump on a Saturday phone call 1.
The same message came from the weekend. On Saturday at Mar-a-Lago, Trump said "We're not in that much of a hurry," and added "I want to make a deal" 2. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump "hasn't made a decision" on resuming strikes 2.
Rubio also said Trump prefers to solve the conflict diplomatically 2.
Iran signals, and a Democrat's warning
Iran sent its own signals Monday. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran's conditions for reopening the Strait of Hormuz are feasible if the U.S. shows goodwill. President Masoud Pezeshkian said the supreme leader gave the government certain authorities for the talks 3.
Democrats have pressed to end the war. Rep. Ro Khanna of California said in September that the war should end before the midterms or it could become "another endless war" 4.
Food prices are high, gas prices are high, the American people are demanding that the war end
Khanna's post also cited a Reuters/Ipsos poll in which 25% of Americans called the war worthwhile and 54% did not. It cited a Reuters report that Trump aides wanted to keep the war out of the news until after the election 4. We have not independently confirmed that report.
What happens next
No decision has been announced. Any move to resume strikes, or a deal, would come after voters have cast their ballots. Mr. Trump's own words show the choice is open 123.
That matters because families with loved ones deployed, and voters worried about gas and food prices, are choosing a Congress without knowing the next step in a war the president started. Trump says the end is near without saying how it ends 23.
The Record
- Rubio said Trump 'hasn't made a decision' on resuming strikes on Iran, and Trump said the U.S. is 'not in that much of a hurry' 2.
- Trump and Netanyahu spoke by phone, and Netanyahu reportedly pressed Trump to resume the fight 1.
- Channel 12 reported that Trump is in no rush to decide and has not made a final decision 13.
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Sources
- The Times of Israel, “Trump reportedly in no rush to decide whether to resume war with Iran” (2026-11-02). timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/trump-reportedly-in-no-rush
- Fox News, “No choice made yet by Trump on resuming military action against Iran, Rubio says” (2026-10-31). foxnews.com/live-news/us-iran-war-trump-israel-strait-hormuz
- Clash Report, “Trump Says No Rush to Resume Iran War as Talks 'Progress Well'” (2026-11-02). clashreport.com/world/articles/trump-says-he-is-in-no-rush-t
- Common Dreams, “Khanna: End the war before the midterms” (2026-09-04). commondreams.org/news/khanna-end-war-midterms
Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.
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