November 6th, 2026: Trump Weighs New Iran Strikes & Ukraine Targets Russian Oil

President Trump is facing a difficult decision over Iran, and the political cost of the war is now impossible for his administration to ignore.

As you may have heard, Republicans suffered major defeats in Tuesday's U.S. midterm elections.

That's putting it mildly.

Now, countless politicians and pundits, including the vice president, have their reasons or thoughts on why the Republicans took such a beating.

In case you're wondering, Vice President J.D. Vance has publicly pointed to the Iran war as a central reason.

In a statement on social media Wednesday, Vance wrote, quote, And President Trump didn't entirely disagree, apparently.

He acknowledged that the conflict and the resulting spike in gasoline prices hurt Republicans.

Well, yeah.

But he also defended his decision to attack Iran, arguing that Tehran couldn't be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.

Now, according to new reporting from Axios, the president faces three options.

Restart major military operations, negotiate a settlement, or continue squeezing Iran economically while avoiding another large-scale attack.

And, of course, none of those options guarantees the outcome that Washington wants.

The first option is to resume the bombing campaign.

American officials tell Axios that the military is completing preparations for another round of major combat operations, including additional deployments to the region.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has pushed Trump toward renewed strikes, arguing that Tehran can't be trusted to make or honor any agreement.

But another offensive could obviously drive up energy prices even higher, trigger more attacks on American forces and regional partners, and deepen a conflict that's already exacted a political price at home.

There's also no guarantee that another round of bombing would resolve the disputes over Iran's nuclear program or the Strait of Hormuz.

The second option is diplomacy.

Qatari mediators have prepared a draft proposal designed to bring the Americans and Iranians back into direct negotiations and prevent renewed fighting.

Vice President Vance has been pushing Trump toward an agreement.

According to Axios, he warned privately for months that the war was deeply unpopular and has criticized Netanyahu's approach to Iran.

Apparently, White House envoy Steve Witkoff also favors trying to make a deal.

Well, yeah, that is, after all, what an envoy is supposed to do.

But diplomacy brings its own problems.

Iran has resisted American demands, and Iranian officials may now believe their bargaining position has improved after the Republican defeat.