Iranian officials: Tehran is prolonging negotiations to weaken Trump electorally
Agencies4 min read
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Iran is seeking to prolong negotiations with the United States and delay reaching an agreement to end the war, with the aim of politically weakening US President Donald Trump ahead of the midterm congressional elections scheduled for November 3, according to what Reuters reported from Iranian officials.
The agency quoted three senior Iranian officials and an Iranian source, who requested anonymity, as saying that the chances of a breakthrough before the elections are slim, because Tehran believes that making concessions might give Trump a political gain.
One official said that Iran is preparing for new US and Israeli attacks, rather than reaching an agreement with Washington to end the war, noting that the Iranian religious establishment is determined not to give Trump a political victory.
Electoral calculations and economic pressures
Iranian analyst Saeed Laylaz said that his country is influencing the US elections by prolonging the negotiations, without taking any illegal action.
For his part, Alex Vatanka, director of the Iran Program at the Middle East Institute in Washington, believed that the Iranian religious establishment clearly wants to weaken Trump politically, explaining that Tehran believes the US president is seeking regime change in Iran and is following the policy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aimed at toppling the ruling establishment in Iran.
These calculations come in light of the economic and political pressures Trump has been facing since the outbreak of the war on February 28, as his popularity has fallen to its lowest levels, amid opinion polls indicating that rising gasoline prices may lead voters to punish the Republican Party in the congressional elections scheduled for November 3.
Trump had repeatedly predicted a drop in oil prices after the elections, but he did not offer a detailed plan to end the war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which is a key global energy shipping corridor, while Iranian attacks have led to a decline in ship traffic through it to limited levels.
In contrast, Iran is facing increasing economic repercussions as a result of the war and the US naval blockade, which has limited its oil exports, putting the Iranian leadership before the cost of continuing the confrontation, despite its insistence on not making concessions that it believes could strengthen Trump's electoral position.
Iranian plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz
Tehran presented a 7-day plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, conditioning it on Washington lifting the naval blockade, easing restrictions on Iranian oil exports, releasing frozen Iranian assets, and ending hostilities on all fronts.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said last Sunday that the offer is still on the table and that messages are continuing through intermediaries. Tehran insists on fulfilling its conditions before starting nuclear negotiations, while Washington wants to include the Iranian nuclear program on the negotiation agenda from the beginning.
An Iranian official pointed out that Tehran's lack of trust in Washington's commitment to diplomacy dates back to previous attacks on Iran that led to the failure of negotiations.
Stalled negotiations deepen lack of trust
One of the points where negotiations stalled dates back to June 2025, when an Israeli attack led to the failure of plans to hold the sixth round of nuclear talks between the United States and Iran in the Sultanate of Oman.
Last February, the United States and Israel launched a war on Iran immediately after the end of another round of talks, at a time when further technical discussions were scheduled to take place.
In this context, Laylaz said that reaching a sustainable agreement with the United States, even after Trump's term ends, is no longer possible due to the deepening lack of trust, accusing the Americans of repeatedly breaking agreements.
He added that nothing will return to what it was before the war.
