NEW: President Trump Reveals When Iran War Will End

President Donald Trump offered a new timeline for the end of the war with Iran on Wednesday, predicting that Tehran will give up almost immediately after the November midterm elections.

Trump made the remarks while speaking with reporters before departing for the Republican National Midterm Convention in Dallas. The president argued that Iran is attempting to prolong the conflict to influence American voters but lacks the ability to continue fighting much longer.

“I think the war is going to end immediately after the election,” Trump said before adding that Iran “can’t hold out any longer.”

The midterm elections are scheduled for November 3. Trump also accused Tehran of trying to affect the vote by keeping the conflict alive and maintaining pressure on energy markets until Americans head to the polls.

Trump pointed to the destruction of Iranian vessels as evidence that the United States is steadily stripping Tehran of its ability to continue the confrontation.

“We’ve knocked out nine of their ships. I would say that the attacks are caused by us,” Trump told reporters. “You’re going to see a lot more. We’ve taken out about nine of their tankers.”

The president’s comments came during another sharp escalation in the conflict. Iran claimed Wednesday that it attacked ten ships near the Strait of Hormuz after the U.S. military destroyed five Iranian oil tankers. The U.S. said those strikes were retaliation for attempted Iranian missile attacks against an American warship.

Iran also launched ballistic missiles at a base used by American forces in Jordan. Jordanian officials said the country’s air defenses intercepted 18 of the 20 missiles, while the remaining two landed in unpopulated areas without causing reported injuries. American officials said all U.S. personnel were accounted for.

The expanding attacks have renewed concerns about the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, which carried roughly one-fifth of the world’s petroleum before the war. Brent crude climbed above $100 per barrel Wednesday for the first time since July, while the U.S. benchmark rose to $95.25.

Trump predicted that oil prices would begin falling once the election passes and the war comes to an end. The national average for regular gasoline reached $4.22 per gallon Wednesday, according to The Associated Press, while diesel climbed to $5.94 per gallon.

Although Trump left the door open to talks, he made it clear that his administration is seeking concessions extending well beyond Iran’s nuclear program.

“All they want is a nuclear weapon. And if they had a nuclear weapon, the whole world is in deep trouble,” Trump said.

Asked whether a new nuclear agreement could end the fighting, Trump said he wanted “much more than a nuclear deal.”

“There’s a lot more than nuclear. We’re going to have nuclear. That’s 99.9, but there’s going to be a lot of other things on the table that wouldn’t have been on the table three months ago,” he continued.

Trump portrayed Iran as severely weakened by months of American military and economic pressure. He said Tehran has “very little country left right now” and suggested Washington sees no pressing need to rush back to the negotiating table.

“A negotiation could possibly happen, but it’s not something we’re looking at,” Trump said.

Vice President JD Vance previously declined to provide a firm timeline for the conflict, saying the administration could not determine when Iran would stop attacking ships. Trump’s latest remarks now place the president’s expectation for an end to the war directly after Americans vote in November.