Trump’s $20M Nuclear Bounty Backfires as Iran War Fury Costs GOP Congress
Trump escalates pressure on Iran with a $20 million reward for nuclear intelligence and new strike threats, even as his party loses Congress over the war’s costs.
The United States has offered up to $20 million for information about Iran’s nuclear program while President Donald Trump threatens fresh military strikes, signaling Washington’s push to gather intelligence on Tehran’s nuclear activities [282315]. The offer comes as Trump announced that the American military carried out a limited strike against Iran targeting an air defense facility [281646].
Trump’s party suffered a historic defeat in the midterm elections, losing control of Congress in a vote he had framed as a referendum on his leadership [279414]. Vice President JD Vance blamed the war for the debacle, saying the four main concerns of Americans were all tied to Trump’s hardline agenda: ending the war, focusing on the cost of living and inflation, putting America first, and changing the relationship with Israel [279414]. Trump himself acknowledged the war’s impact on the defeat, saying it caused a short-term rise in gas prices, but insisted he would do it again because “Iran cannot be allowed to have a nuclear weapon” [279414].
Iranian officials celebrated the Republican Party’s crushing defeat, with pro-regime crowds gathering in Tehran’s Enghelab Square and setting fire to a giant banner showing Trump, Vance, US envoy Steve Witkoff, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu [281560]. Iranian officials called the Republican losses a rejection of Trump’s war against Iran, while some Iranians expressed fear of another full-scale war [281560].
Trump said going to war with Iran was “worth it,” even as his party suffered heavy losses, defending the conflict despite the political fallout [279306]. The midterm results dealt a significant blow to Trump’s party, though he stopped short of acknowledging any link between the war and the election outcome [279306].
Iran warned that a new war with the United States could last longer than the previous round of fighting, threatening retaliation with no geographical limits [276926]. The warning came as Trump suggested Washington still had targets to strike, while diplomatic efforts continued to prevent a fresh escalation [276926]. Qatari mediators met with Iranian officials for a third day of talks aimed at ending the war, amid concerns that the conflict could escalate again after the Nov. 3 midterm elections [276722].
Trump faces a critical choice: end the war or return to it. Iran says it wants a settlement “as soon as possible,” even as both sides trade threats and keep diplomacy alive [277668]. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with Trump about bilateral ties and regional developments, calling for diplomatic solutions to tensions involving Iran and the war in Ukraine [282110].
Most Gulf stock markets ended the week higher as fears of a wider conflict between the United States and Iran eased, improving investors’ appetite for risk [281604]. Democratic control of Congress will bring greater scrutiny of Trump’s handling of the Iran and Ukraine wars, though the president will keep broad powers over foreign policy [278946].