Trump warns Iran of possible escalation before U.S. midterms amid Saudi airport attack

At a rally in Clarksville, Tennessee, Donald Trump warned that Iran might attempt a limited provocation before the United States’ November 3 midterm elections, but he pledged that the U.S. would not launch an attack on Tehran until after the vote. He claimed the United States could swiftly end any escalation and emphasized his previous statement that no strike on Iran would occur prior to the elections. The comments arrived in the wake of a Houthi missile attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, which killed 12 people—including nationals from Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, the United States, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Palestine and Sudan—and injured 309, some critically.

Saudi officials, represented by the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), are evaluating the extent of property damage and continuing medical treatment for the injured. The incident drew condemnation from several countries and solidarity with Saudi Arabia. Trump also noted that Iran is in a “very bad condition” economically and militarily, while the blockade and oil flow through the Hormuz Strait remain in effect. He reiterated that Iran does not possess a nuclear weapon.