Donald Trump accused Iran of deliberately stretching out peace negotiations, banking on the November midterm elections to shift leverage in their favor. Speaking during a cabinet meeting at the White House, Trump claimed Tehran was gambling that election pressure would force him to accept worse terms. "They thought they were going to outwait me," he said, describing what he characterized as a calculation that the political calendar would work against his administration.
The president rejected the strategy outright, pointing to recent Republican primary victories as proof that midterm politics would not dictate his foreign policy. "I don't care about the midterms," Trump said, citing Ken Paxton's surprising upset of four-term senator John Cornyn in Texas as evidence that his political position was strengthening, not weakening.
Trump framed Iran's economic collapse as the real pressure point in talks. The country faces rampant inflation and a destabilized currency, he argued, leaving Tehran little choice but to reach a settlement. "They have 250% inflation, their money has no value, their whole economic system is broken down," Trump said, suggesting Iran's desperation should force compromise at the negotiating table.
Peace talks have stalled near a resolution after nearly three months of negotiations. Trump said current proposals fell short of what the administration would accept, indicating the process remained deadlocked despite claims from both sides that a deal was within reach. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route, remains tied to the conflict's resolution.
The accusation against Iran came as the Trump administration faced mounting domestic pressure on multiple fronts. A tense standoff at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in New Jersey escalated into violence Tuesday night, with federal officers deploying chemical spray against protesters on the fifth day of a hunger and labor strike. The clashes resulted in controversy after ICE personnel pepper-sprayed Senator Andy Kim during demonstrations.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin signaled the administration was preparing a dramatic response. He told Fox News that the government was "drawing up plans" to halt international flight processing in major cities deemed sanctuary jurisdictions, a move targeting Democratic-led areas that have resisted federal immigration enforcement.
Paxton's primary win over Cornyn reshuffled Texas Republican politics and gave Trump a notable victory in his endorsement game. Hours after the result, Trump used social media to attack Paxton's Democratic opponent in the general election, signaling he intended to leverage the primary outcome for maximum political advantage heading into the midterms.
In other Trump administration developments, federal contractors with ties to the president saw financial windfalls. Elliott Broidy, a Republican fundraiser pardoned by Trump in January 2021 after pleading guilty to illegal lobbying charges, secured a $106 million Department of Justice contract through his company. The pardon came just one day before Trump left office.
The administration also squared off against state attempts to regulate prediction markets. Trump called efforts by states to impose restrictions on the multibillion-dollar industry "scum," arguing the federal government should maintain exclusive control over the sector.
Separately, US importers are set to receive $85 billion in tariff refunds after the Supreme Court struck down Trump's tariff orders in February, according to Customs and Border Protection data. The decision creates a significant financial drain on the administration's trade policy legacy.
White House claims of bipartisan cooperation on fraud enforcement also fell apart this week. Three Democratic state attorneys general reported their deputies were barred from attending a roundtable hosted by Vice President JD Vance, undermining the administration's framing of the effort as a cross-party initiative.
Author James Rodriguez: "Trump's gamble that economic pain will break Iran's will to wait out the midterms is bold, but it assumes autocrats think like elected officials watching polling numbers."
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