US President Donald Trump predicted on September 9, 2026, that the Iran war would end immediately after the November 3 midterm elections. Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews before leaving for Dallas, he alleged that Tehran was trying to influence the vote and could not withstand American economic pressure much longer. Reuters recorded the exchange before his departure for a Republican convention.
Trump also predicted that oil prices would fall after the election and said he expected gasoline to drop below $2 a gallon. He left negotiations open as a possibility but said his administration was not actively seeking them. His remarks combined an electoral timetable with continued economic pressure on Tehran, rather than setting a date for talks or describing terms agreed with Iran.
Later on September 9, Trump used his convention speech in Dallas to threaten a strike on Pickaxe Mountain, saying the United States had observed activity there. Reuters reported that the fortified site contains two deeply buried tunnel complexes near the damaged Natanz enrichment facility. Trump had been threatening attacks on the mountain since at least mid-July, making it a recurring focus of his warnings about Iran's nuclear capabilities.
Pickaxe Mountain lies about 220 kilometres south of Tehran and two kilometres from the Natanz complex. According to the Institute for Science and International Security, cited by Reuters, the tunnel facility under construction had escaped attacks during both the 2025 conflict and the 2026 war. Natanz itself had been hit in March 2026 and in the previous year's fighting. Iran says its uranium enrichment programme is peaceful, while Trump has made weakening its nuclear capabilities a stated war objective.
