Trump rules out Iran strike as Netanyahu warns of election disruption

Trump told reporters on October 25 that the United States would not launch a strike on Iran that day, easing immediate war fears. He added that Washington still kept both options open – to "finish the job" or to reach a deal with Tehran – after earlier hints at a possible military move. In a US‑coordinated push, Qatari mediators flew to Tehran to try to calm regional tensions. Iran’s parliament speaker accused the United States of falling into a "quagmire" because of its own miscalculations and urged a way out of the crisis. President Masoud Pezeshkian also blamed Washington for the war but said Tehran should continue working toward a peace agreement. Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, warned that Iran and its proxies might try to disrupt Israel’s national elections scheduled for Tuesday, October 27. "We have intelligence signs that our enemies, Iran and its proxies, could challenge us with attacks in order to disrupt the elections," he said in a video, adding, "Don't test us. You will suffer disproportionate blows." Netanyahu, campaigning on a security platform, recalled the February war launched with the United States and posted an AI‑generated image of a mushroom cloud over Tel Aviv, accompanied by a right‑wing commentator’s claim that Iran is an existential threat. Earlier in the week he said he had ordered Israeli forces to topple Iran’s clerical state, and a day before his warning he appeared in a video beside a fighter jet speaking to Trump, saying the two leaders would "finish the job" together.

Context

The United States and Israel are both pressing Iran over its regional activities while domestic politics in Israel are heating up ahead of the upcoming election, making any escalation especially sensitive for regional stability.