Trump says U.S. won't attack Iran before midterms

US President Donald Trump has stated that the US will not attack Iran before the midterm elections. According to CBS News, Trump made this statement as candidates faced off in debates in Georgia, Maine, and Michigan.

Trump also clarified his previous comments about Iran potentially taking out California cities, saying they had been misinterpreted. He claimed he was referring to the need for people to tolerate higher gas prices, stating that a temporary increase in gasoline prices was a small price to pay for Iran not having a nuclear weapon.

The New Straits Times and Semafor reported that Trump's statement followed media reports suggesting potential new US strikes before the elections, which had driven up oil prices. Trump said Washington was having "productive discussions" with Tehran. The Atlantic magazine and The New York Times reported that the White House had asked the Pentagon to develop options for striking Iranian targets that could be used before the midterms.

Brief written by urgent.news from CBS News, Jerusalem Post, Semafor, New Straits Times, Punch Nigeria — 5 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.