US President Donald Trump has claimed that the ongoing seven-month conflict with Iran will end immediately after the upcoming November midterm elections, accusing Tehran of deliberately sustaining the war to influence domestic US voting and weaken the Republican Party. However, experts and analysts argue that Iran's long-term strategy focuses on survival and economic leverage rather than post-election capitulation. Meanwhile, the prolonged war is severely impacting the US electorate ahead of the midterms through rising gasoline prices—now averaging $4.27 per gallon—and surging consumer inflation, factors that are driving down Trump's approval ratings and threatening to suppress Republican voter turnout.