# Iran hopes to deal Trump a blow at midterms by keeping him entangled in war

https://mins.news/en/item/16132

- The Guardian, 2026-08-07 11:47 UTC
- World
- Original: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/07/iran-war-trump-midterm-ballot

> Tehran has laid out a protracted timetable for negotiations, seeking to keep Donald Trump tied to the Iran conflict through the midterm elections. The strategy is intended to inflict a politically ruinous blow on his presidency, echoing the damage Jimmy Carter suffered during the 1979-81 US embassy hostage crisis. Many people in Iran view meaningful revenge against Trump as a legitimate war aim in its own right. Yet some fear that a politically bruised and weakened Trump could respond by prolonging the conflict instead.

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