Trump signals imminent decision on resuming war with Iran after midterm defeat

US President Donald Trump, following his meeting with the national security team on Thursday, said that a decision on whether to resume an all-out war on Iran will be coming soon. According to Axios, Trump, who was earlier restricted by the prospect of a drubbing ahead of the midterms, is now considering three options: launch new strikes, continue to strangle Iran economically, or make a deal with Iran that includes significant concessions.

Now we will make a decision," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "Do we want to go further" with strikes to ensure Iran's nuclear program is dead and that “it will never happen again?” He also added that he would "rather r not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to. You'll know soon enough."

Flurry of diplomacy following midterms

Following the disappointing performance of the Trump-led Republicans in the ballot, there was a flurry of diplomatic activity on Thursday. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held several phone calls with regional mediators from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Egypt about a draft proposal, which urges the two sides to take several steps over a two-day period to build mutual confidence towards a deal.

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On the first day, the US would lift the naval blockade and release some amount of Iranian frozen funds. In response, Iran would issue an official invitation to the International Atomic Energy Agency to send inspectors to bombed nuclear sites, based on an agreement reached in Cairo a year ago.

On the second day, the Strait of Hormuz would reopen, following which nuclear talks would take place, focusing on Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.

Institutional paralysis in Washington and Tel Aviv

In Israel, neither Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition bloc nor Gadi Eisenkot and his coalition bloc succeeded in securing a mathematical majority following the October election, whereas in Washington, Trump and the Republicans suffered a historic landslide defeat, which analysts are calling their worst performance in up to 50 years.

As Israel fails to make any meaningful progress in forming a government, under Israeli law Netanyahu operates without any restrictions as a caretaker Prime Minister with full military & foreign authority; he could launch a regional war to prompt opposition leaders like Gadi Eisenkot to support the military in the name of national unity, a desperate move for political survival.

In Washington, the newly elected Congress will not be sworn in till January 3; Trump had previously intentionally denied escalation ahead of midterms to avoid a crushing defeat, but now he is not restricted by that vulnerability.