Pressure to end campaign against Iran, Trump faces military and diplomatic impasse - US midterm elections

[Washington Current Affairs] The biggest issue in the US midterm elections was the rise in fuel prices caused by military operations against Iran. President Trump also admitted to the US media on the 4th that ``Iran was a factor (in the defeat of the Republican Party).'' With the Democratic Party, which has criticized the operation, taking back both houses of Congress, pressure to end the fighting is bound to increase.

Trump justifies operations against Iran, impeachment ban continues, midterm election vote counting continues

The situation in Iran is such that there is no visible path to bringing the situation to an end. Some US media outlets have reported that the US military is planning to resume attacks on Iran after the election. Alex Vatanka, a senior researcher at the Middle East Institute think tank, also pointed out the possibility of a ``short-term, concentrated attack on nuclear facilities.'' However, he warns that military action will invite retaliation from Iran and leave the country in a quagmire, saying, ``We will not be able to find an exit strategy.''

Trump told the Financial Times on the 3rd, ``I'm ready (for an attack), but it may not be necessary,'' suggesting that he would not rule out a diplomatic solution. However, differences between the United States and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key oil transportation hub, and Iran's nuclear program are difficult to bridge. The current situation is that there is no solution in sight, both militarily and diplomatically.

In the past midterm elections, the Republican Party under President George W. Bush suffered a crushing defeat in 2006 due to the prolonged Iraq War. Mr. Bush decided to increase the number of troops in Iraq and tried to stabilize security, but he was unable to bring about an end to the war during his term of office, which ended in January 2009. Mr. Trump, who has just over two years left in his term, risks leaving a ``negative legacy'' of operations against Iran to his successor.