Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Nov 13 that the Trump administration intends to maintain economic and political pressure on the Iranian government rather than pursuing a diplomatic pact. Bessent noted that while Tehran may have received a more favorable offer for a nuclear agreement before the 2026 midterm elections, President Donald Trump now believes a deal is unnecessary and that the U.S. will continue “squeezing” the country.
The shift in strategy follows a 60 Minutes interview in which Trump claimed that the timing of the midterm elections derailed an imminent diplomatic agreement. Trump attributed the GOP’s losses in those elections to rising gasoline prices and a growing public dislike for Israel, while also admitting he gave Vice President JD Vance the approval to post that the Iran war helped cost the party the midterms. Despite the political fallout, Trump defended the military campaign as a necessary step to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, which he claims are currently “buried under thousands of tons of rock.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded to the interview by claiming that American voters are “disgusted with Israel” and accusing the Israeli government of misleading various U.S. administrations into prolonged conflicts.