Trump: "There may be no reason to attack Iran right away... We are not in a state of war."

President Donald Trump denied speculation that the United States could escalate armed conflict with Iran after the midterm elections and said on the 3rd (local time) that there were no immediate plans to attack Iran.

In an interview with the Financial Times (FT) conducted a few hours before the end of voting in the midterm elections, President Trump responded to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's strong hint of the possibility of an attack on Iran later this week, saying, "We are fully prepared to attack at any time if necessary, but there may not be a reason to do so."

President Trump claimed that the United States and Iran are not actually at war, saying, "We attacked Iran with B-2 bombers and neutralized Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons, so we are not in fact at war."

He emphasized, "After that, we attacked again with Operation 'Epic Fury'. But if you think about it, it has been quite a long time since we were actually at war with Iran. Six months, maybe more."

“I don’t think we are in a state of war like Ukraine or like World War I or World War II,” he said.

President Trump said that the amount of crude oil passing through the Strait of Hormuz is greater than before the war and that the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports is successfully suppressing the Iranian economy, saying, "We are in a really great situation right now."

He also said, “It seems like we’re getting everything we want.”

The FT explained that President Trump's remarks came at a time when voters' anxiety about inflation and a surge in oil prices after the start of the U.S. attack on Iran was a key issue in this midterm election.

During the campaign, President Trump repeatedly claimed that the surge in oil prices was temporary and would fall quickly after the midterm elections.

On this day, President Trump also said that he is currently engaging in indirect negotiations with Iran regarding a plan to dispose of 450 kg of enriched uranium that Iran possesses.

"Even if it's under hundreds of tons of rock, I'm not happy about it being there," Trump said. "We're discussing it now and we'll see what happens."

Regarding the peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, President Trump explained, "I think we've reached a point where both sides say, 'Let's reach an agreement.'"

Meanwhile, President Trump claimed that the midterm election campaign was very successful and that "the field was filled with people, and thousands of people gathered in the large stadium and could not even enter."