The White House has ordered the U.S. military to almost completely stop striking Iranian anti-ship missile and attack drone launchers around the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks, to avoid escalating the war before the midterm elections, Axios reported Friday, citing a single unnamed U.S. official. The official said the pause made Iran more confident about launching attacks on ships.
According to Axios, U.S. Central Command is concerned that the rise in ship attacks could make shipping companies think twice about using the strait, cutting the flow of oil and pushing prices up.
The pause is in line with what Trump said publicly on Oct. 8. "We will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd," he wrote on Truth Social, adding that the blockade "will remain in full force and effect."
In a video message released Friday, CENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said the Strait of Hormuz remains open, with 400 ships and 100 million barrels of oil moving through it over the past week. He said the naval blockade has cost Iran $25 billion in lost oil revenue and blamed the rise in attacks on "desperation" within Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
The Axios report did not include a response from the White House or the Pentagon. The U.S. is still waiting for Iran's answer to a counterproposal to end the war.
Read more: Iran Slips Some LPG and Jet Fuel Past U.S. Blockade, but Crude Exports Remain Choked Off
Photo: Adm. Brad Cooper in Egypt, September 2025. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Kevin Dunkleberger (public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)
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