Iran Seeks to 'Punish' Trump With Election Defeat, Just Like Jimmy Carter: WP

The Iranian leadership is looking to expand vessel attacks in the Strait of Hormuz with the calculation of making U.S. President Donald Trump face defeat in next month's midterm elections, the Washington Post reported on the 19th local time.

This stems from the assessment that President Trump, currently pressured by high oil prices ahead of the election, will not be as sensitive to oil prices after the midterms.

According to the newspaper, two Iranian officials stated that their government views the period leading up to the midterm elections on November 3 as a decisive window to pressure President Trump.

An Arab diplomat and a Western diplomat conveyed that some Iranian officials intend to "punish" President Trump in the midterm elections.

The goal is to inflict political damage similar to how the 1979 U.S. Embassy hostage crisis in Iran adversely affected then-President Jimmy Carter's 1980 reelection bid.

An Arab diplomat stated that the Iranian leadership is "obsessed" with the U.S. election, adding, "They think they can undermine the president's political standing."

Iran expanded its ship attacks as the United States launched operations to increase the navigation of vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to a Western official cited by the Washington Post, Iran's attacks within the strait averaged about 30 per week in September.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) stated that since the beginning of this month, Iran has attacked more than 20 vessels, with one of them sinking.


The U.S. military is deploying fighter jets, drones, and special operations forces to escort vessels transiting the strait daily.

As a result of these operations, crude oil shipments originating from the Persian Gulf have increased significantly.

According to data from shipping analytics firm Kpler, although shipping costs and risks remain high, daily crude export volumes approached pre-war averages on several days over the past month.

Iran has denounced these U.S. oil tanker escort operations as "smuggling."

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary-general of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, appeared on state-run Press TV and claimed that Iran is targeting 5 to 6 vessels every night.

He warned that if all-out war resumes, regional cables, data centers, and artificial intelligence-related facilities could also become targets.

Iranian state media are heavily featuring energy prices, President Trump's approval ratings, and the possibility of a Republican defeat in the midterms as major topics.

Expectations are also emerging in Iran that a Republican loss in the midterms could restrict President Trump's prosecution of war, benefiting Tehran.

A Western diplomat explained to the Washington Post that the expansion of vessel attacks also aims to secure leverage for future end-of-war negotiations.

While the U.S. government is pressured by the looming midterms and high oil prices, and Iran by economic hardships nearing their limits, neither side shows signs of backing down.

According to an Iranian official, some high-ranking Iranian officials attempted to reach an agreement before the U.S. midterms, but the efforts fell through.

High-level negotiating teams from the U.S. and Iran met face-to-face at the United Nations last September to exchange proposals, but Iran reportedly rejected U.S. demands to make concessions on the nuclear issue first.

Negar Mortazavi, an Iran researcher at the Center for International Policy, a U.S. think tank, analyzed that Iran also intends to send a message to future U.S. administrations.

"They want to impress upon them that attacking Iran comes with a heavy political cost, including the possibility of losing an election," she said.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.