Beaten at home, Trump faces stark choice on Iran: deal or escalation

U.S. President Donald Trump looks on on the day the final steel beam goes into the ballroom, at the White House in Washington on Wednesday. | REUTERS

Nov 5, 2026

DUBAI – U.S. President Donald Trump went to war seeking regime change in Iran. Instead, it was his own grip on Washington that gave way, as voters weary of the war and hit by soaring fuel prices handed Democrats control of Congress.

That leaves a weakened president facing a choice between a negotiated exit and a riskier escalation.

In Tehran and among its allies, the result was swiftly cast as a verdict on the conflict. Across the Gulf, officials were left wondering which way Trump would turn.

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