‘If we have to, we’ll have to’: Trump weighs resuming Iran war after polls, warns of more deaths
WASHINGTON, DC: America is voting in midterm polls today, and with the conclusion of the voting process, a deadline set by President Donald Trump in an earlier statement that the US would not attack Iran before the midterms will have passed.
President Trump had said that the US would not launch an attack on Iran before Election Day. However, during a fresh interview, he said he was not looking to kill many people but would act if necessary.
Trump says US doesn’t want to kill people, but he will if ‘has to’
President Trump, during a phone interview with Fox News on Tuesday, November 3, said the US could take further military action against Iran if necessary, although he did not announce a decision to launch a new attack.
"Look, I'm not looking to, you know, kill lots of people, but if we have to, we'll have to," Trump said.
BREAKING: Trump says he may have to kill lots of Iranian civilians after the midterms when he resumes the war. "I'm not looking to, you know, kill lots of people, but if we have to, we'll have to," Trump said when asked what will happen after the elections on Iran. "We could finish them off or be nice and let thousands of people live that would get killed in a war," he adds.
— The Hormuz Letter (@HormuzLetter) November 3, 2026
"We could finish them off or be nice and let thousands of people live that would get killed in a war," he added.
The statement came amid reports that the US was weighing further military action against Iran after the midterm elections. However, Trump had said a day earlier that he was not considering an attack after Election Day.
Trump said American forces struck a newly completed Iranian anti-aircraft installation overnight after monitoring its construction for over two months.
"Just a minor attack. It wasn't war," he said.
US military carried out "defensive" strikes against Iran’s Qeshm Island on Monday, November 2.
Trump says Iran's military has been decimated
Accusing Iran of sponsoring terr***sm, President Trump claimed that the country's military capabilities had been severely weakened.
“Every ship is at the bottom of the sea. They had 288 airplanes. Every airplane is laying on small little pieces, tiny little pieces all over the runways of Iran,” Trump said on Tuesday.
He also said that Iran has no airplanes or anti-aircraft capabilities.
The US president said the conflict with Iran is different from traditional wars, such as the Russia-Ukraine war or World War II. He claimed Washington had the upper hand over Tehran after crippling Iran’s naval and air forces during the ongoing conflict.
The US launched an attack on Iran’s Qeshm Island on Monday night, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed officials. The sources also revealed that Washington had carried out out a series of secret strikes against Iranian targets over the past few weeks.
Notably, hours before Monday's strike, Trump said the war with Iran had ended.
“We had a war with Iran. We won,” Trump said at the Lincoln Memorial. “I don’t even know if you call it a war because we haven’t been doing any fighting for months, you know?”
