Iran is ‘probably’ trying to influence U.S. midterm vote with Hormuz attacks: Trump

A pedestrian walks past a wall mural along the street in Tehran on July 21, 2026. Photo by ATTA KENARE/AFP via Getty Images

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U.S. President Donald Trump minimized the prospect of immediate talks with Iran as the two sides exchanged strikes and Houthi militants in Yemen threatened shipping in the Red Sea.

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Trump vowed on Tuesday to respond if the Iran-backed group disrupted that waterway, but didn’t specify how.

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His comments came after the 10th day of U.S. and Iranian attacks and as mediators continued efforts to restart negotiations. Oil prices ticked higher amid the threats to key routes for global energy supplies.

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“They want to desperately meet and until they’re ready to meet in a meaningful way we have no interest,” Trump said at a White House meeting with Lebanon’s president, vowing to continue the fight.

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Tehran has dismissed U.S. claims that it’s seeking more talks. Mediators are working to revive a June 17 interim peace agreement. Iran’s Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni was in Pakistan Tuesday but there was no immediate word of progress.

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Oil prices have surged by about 20 per cent in July after hostilities resumed in the nearly five-month war, which began when the U.S. and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran at the end of February. Brent crude traded slightly higher on Tuesday at around US$90 a barrel.

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U.S. Central Command said it targeted Iranian military command centers, launch sites and air defences overnight, and Iran attacked facilities in Kuwait and Jordan, with Kuwait saying power and desalination plants were among those hit. The U.K. navy reported strikes on two vessels around the Strait of Hormuz. Commercial traffic through the waterway was the lowest in three weeks.

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The Iran-backed Houthis on Monday said they would impose a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, putting at risk the flow of millions of barrels that the kingdom exports via the Red Sea. A message from the Yemen-based group to shipowners warned all vessels against calling at Saudi ports, according to an email seen by Bloomberg, shedding light on the scope of a threat.

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Asked about the threat of Houthi attacks on shipping, Trump said, “If something like that happens, we take care of it,” without elaborating. The U.S. conducted a two-month bombing campaign against the Houthis last year but Red Sea traffic didn’t recover to prior levels.

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On Tuesday, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said it is taking steps to protect ships in the area while the Saudi Foreign Ministry said the kingdom would take all necessary measures to protect vessels in accordance with international law.

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U.S. retail gasoline prices have climbed back over US$4 a gallon, potentially hurting Trump and his Republican Party before midterm elections in November.

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Trump said Tuesday in response to a question that Iran “probably” is trying to influence the vote with its attacks in the strait. He also signalled more military action is likely.