A billboard reading “We Will Kill Trump” appeared in Tehran on Tuesday, marking the latest display denouncing the president amid renewed diplomatic efforts and targeted defense strikes in the Strait of Hormuz on the eve of the U.S. midterms, which officials have called limited.
The U.S. and Israel launched the war in February, which over the last eight months has resulted in Iran closing the Strait of Hormuz, a U.S. Blockade on Iranian ports, Iranian drone and missile strikes on Gulf states and renewed conflict in Yemen. In the latest round of peace negotiations between the two countries and mediators, a draft of a U.S.-Iran deal has been in discussion for the past eight days, and Trump has said an agreement to end the war “could happen.” Trump has been under pressure to end the war as the closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues to drive up oil and gas prices, putting strain on the economy heading into the midterms. On Monday ahead of the midterms, Trump on Truth social said oil prices were “DROPPING LIKE A ROCK, down almost $10 a Barrel” as markets expect an end to fighting, though the actual percentage drop for the day was lower. WTI crude oil futures dropped by around 7.3%, and international Brent crude futures by 7.6%, which NBC News reported as the largest single-day drops by percentages since July 27.
As the U.S. carried out what it has calling limited strikes on Iran, Trump asserted on Fox News that “there hasn’t been shooting for months,” and “it’s a very soft war.” He said Iran is eager to make a deal, but while there’s “no war raging,” it could happen if they’re not able to reach an agreement.
