Iran US war to escalate into major crisis ahead of US midterm elections 2026? Here's what Tehran, Donald Trump hinting

As concerns rise about a return to an all-out Iran war ahead of crucial elections in the United States and Israel, Iran said messages are still being passed to the U.S. and Tehran remains open to diplomacy. And U.S. President Donald Trump said there would not be a strike against the Islamic Republic “today.”

Meanwhile, the International Committee of the Red Cross has begun receiving lists again of Palestinian detainees from the occupied West Bank and Gaza after the Israeli Supreme Court ordered the government to resume sharing them.

Iran Sends Messages to US via Intermediaries

Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson, Esmail Baghaei, said Tehran has not closed the window of diplomacy and messages are being passed to the U.S. via intermediaries. Negotiations over the war have appeared to stall for weeks.

State media said Baghaei spoke in an interview with a German broadcaster. He said the U.S. appears to persist in unilateral demands and that Trump and U.S. officials repeatedly use the phrase “complete surrender," which Baghaei said no Iranian accepts.

Concerns are rising among Iranians about a possible return to all-out war as Israel and the U.S. face elections in the coming days.

Donald Trump on Strike against Iran

Asked if he planned to launch an attack on Iran, Trump initially suggested that he would be foolish to telegraph that. But Trump then added: “No. There will not be a strike today.” At the same time, the head of the U.S. Central Command, Adm. Brad Cooper, was flying over the Strait of Hormuz and asserting that over 3,000 commercial vessels have transited the waterway with U.S. military support over the last six months.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his warning that Iran or its proxies could attack ahead of Tuesday’s close elections to disrupt the vote, citing intelligence.

“The (military) is ready both to defend and to strike,” he said in a video statement, adding: “You will suffer disproportionate blows far greater than you can imagine.”

Israeli broadcaster reports Netanyahu confrontation over Iran

Netanyahu and his military chief of staff have had a confrontation over a political directive related to Iran shortly before Israel’s close election, a local broadcaster reported Sunday night.

The Channel 12 report caused alarm among some Israelis including Netanyahu’s chief rival in Tuesday’s election, Gadi Eisenkot, who said on X he backed the chief of staff, Eyal Zamir.

The outcry reflected concerns some have raised in Israel that Netanyahu, who could lose power after being the country's longest-serving prime minister, might be eager to attack Iran ahead of the vote in an effort to stay in office.

Netanyahu described the Channel 12 report as nonsense during an appearance on another broadcaster, Channel 14. There was no immediate military comment.

The Channel 12 report did not say what exactly the Iran-related directive was. In recent days, the prime minister has asserted the need to “topple” Iran’s leadership.