President Trump says the Iran war will end right after the midterms, maybe before, after Rubio ordered Iranian negotiators out of the U.S. when talks stalled.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio abruptly ended the stalled talks and told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and his team on Monday they had to leave New York. The Iranian delegation departed early Tuesday.
Fox News reported that Rubio concluded the Iranians had overstayed their welcome after high-level United Nations meetings wrapped up with no clear breakthrough.
President Trump, speaking Sunday, said the war with Iran will end “right after” the November midterm elections and “maybe before.” In a Time interview, he left the door open to harder military pressure once voting is done.
Asked whether he would ramp up bombing after the midterms, Trump answered with one word.
"Possible."
He added that the United States has rebuilt its arsenal and has options ready.
"We have a lot of weapons. You know, we’ve been stocking up for the last six months,"
Trump also used “possible” when asked whether he might annihilate Iran. He declined to discuss specific targets.
The latest round centered on ending the conflict, reopening oil and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, and restarting nuclear talks. Qatari mediators shuttled messages during weekend meetings. Progress stayed thin.
Trump rejected Iran’s latest proposal over the weekend. On Tehran’s offer to reopen the strait, he said it was “not good enough. Nearly.”
A seven-day confidence-building idea was on the table. The sides still clashed over who moves first on the strait, nuclear steps, and economic relief. Trump denied reports he had offered sanctions relief or the release of frozen Iranian funds in exchange for nuclear movement.
Rubio said the United States remains open to negotiations. He also warned there “will be consequences” if Tehran fails to honor its commitments.
Iran pushed back on the U.S. account of the exit. Tehran said the Monday-night departure had already been scheduled and was communicated to the State Department on Sept. 17. Araghchi and his team still left early Tuesday after Rubio’s order.
The diplomatic freeze lands more than seven months into the conflict. A June framework briefly halted the fighting, but the wider fight never fully closed.
Before the war, roughly one-fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies passed through the Strait of Hormuz. Major banks now estimate recent Middle East exports have moved close to pre-war levels, yet U.S. pump prices remain elevated.
Brent crude settled above $103 a barrel Wednesday. U.S. crude closed above $90. The national average for regular gasoline sat near $4.43 a gallon, up from roughly $3.15 a year earlier. Diesel ran above $6.40 a gallon.
Those numbers hit households and trucking routes even as export flows recover. The strait remains the leverage point both sides keep circling.
Last week at the United Nations General Assembly, Trump said he would continue to make sure Iran is not able to obtain nuclear weapons. That line matches the longer U.S. position through the stalled New York talks.
Araghchi had stayed in New York after the U.N. meetings to keep indirect talks alive on the blockade, the wider war, and the nuclear file. Once Rubio cut the visit short, that channel went dark for now.
The White House and State Department messaging now signals a strained diplomatic track. Talks are not ruled out. The timeline for force is no longer abstract either.
Trump tied the possible end of the war to the midterms and kept “possible” on the table for stepped-up strikes afterward. The stockpile comment covered the last six months of preparation. The rejection of Iran’s weekend offer showed how far apart the sequencing still sits.
American drivers are already paying the energy bill. The administration is keeping military options loaded while it waits to see whether Tehran moves on the nuclear file and the strait in deeds, not just proposals.
Weak deals that leave Iran’s nuclear path open and the strait as a pressure tool are not peace. Strength, clear terms, and consequences are.
