The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump deliberately avoided public coverage of military strikes on Iran ahead of the midterm congressional elections. The White House feared that reports of continued hostilities could worsen the standing of Republicans, who were already losing voter support due to the protracted war and high energy prices.
This is reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with internal discussions in the U.S. president’s administration.
According to the publication, in September senior White House officials held a meeting in the Situation Room devoted to the political consequences of the war with Iran. Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other administration officials took part.
During the discussion, officials concluded that public reports about the continuation of American strikes, even of a defensive nature, could harm Republican candidates in states where a tight election race was expected.
According to WSJ interlocutors, this position was conveyed to Donald Trump, who agreed with such an approach.
In the following weeks, U.S. forces continued limited operations against Iranian missile installations and other military equipment, without drawing widespread public attention to them. At the same time, the reluctance to publicize the strikes was also explained by the desire not to create the impression of preparations for resuming a full-scale military campaign.
After the midterm elections on November 3, in which Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress, disagreements over the war with Iran within the administration became more visible.
Vice President JD Vance on November 4 publicly linked the Republican Party's defeat to the war against Iran. In his view, voters were dissatisfied with the prolonged conflict, rising energy prices, and the administration's departure from the campaign principles of "America First" policy.
Donald Trump partially agreed with the vice president's assessment, acknowledging that the war caused higher gasoline prices and negatively affected the election results. At the same time, the president continued to defend the military campaign, insisting on the need to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
According to WSJ data, disputes over further action against Tehran persist among other senior officials as well. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth advocates continuing military pressure, while Vance and Rubio have previously supported diplomatic negotiations to end the conflict.
Now some administration officials are proposing that Trump launch new strikes on Iran and then use the increased military pressure to reach a negotiated agreement. Other advisers consider it advisable to gradually wind down the operation to avoid further political and economic losses.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon has been readying for weeks for a possible resumption of large-scale hostilities, strengthening the U.S. military presence in the Middle East.
Despite internal disagreements, Trump publicly backed Hegseth and stated that he does not plan changes in his administration after the elections. A final decision on a new large-scale military operation against Iran has not been announced.
