US President Donald Trump told supporters at a campaign rally in Highland Heights, Kentucky, on Saturday, October 17, 2026, that the ongoing war with Iran would end "very quickly" and that American gasoline prices would drop below pre-war levels once the fighting stops. The remarks, reported widely on October 18, come as the nearly eight-month conflict continues to drive up fuel costs and weigh on US voters ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
Trump ties a quick end of the Iran war to lower gas prices
Addressing the rally at Truist Arena, where he was campaigning for Republican House candidate Ed Gallrein and Senate candidate Andy Barr, Trump linked the conflict's outcome directly to domestic energy costs. "It's going to end very quickly. When it ends, your gas prices are going to be lower than what they were before," he said, drawing cheers from the crowd, according to reports of the speech.
The president revisited earlier US military strikes on Iranian targets, which he described as a "little excursion" that was necessary to neutralize Tehran's nuclear ambitions. "You know, when I did the little excursion to the Islamic, the beautiful Islamic Republic of Iran, we beat the shit out of them. But when I did that excursion, we knocked out their nuclear capacity," Trump told the rally.
Responding to debates over whether the strikes were worth their strategic cost, Trump argued that preventing Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon was the paramount priority. "They cannot have a nuclear weapon; they can't, because they'll use it," he said.
Iran calls the war unlawful and demands an end to fighting
Tehran has rejected the US framing of the conflict. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh, speaking during a visit to Beirut this week, said ending hostilities across all fronts was essential to lasting peace in the region, warning that continued fighting in any area would prolong the wider conflict.
Khatibzadeh accused Washington and Tel Aviv of violating an Islamabad memorandum of understanding signed by Iran and the United States in mid-June, saying the US war on Iran was unlawful under international law. He asserted that Washington had been unable to eliminate Iran's air defenses or its ability to deter attacks, and that Tehran had withstood an "existential war" while safeguarding its sovereignty.
The Iranian official also said Iran stood ready to answer questions from the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United States about its nuclear program, pointing to more than 15 IAEA reports verifying Iranian compliance, and offered to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days.
Rising prices and voter anger set the political backdrop
The rally came as polls showed deep public frustration with the economy. An AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll published October 1 found that Americans disapprove of Trump's handling of the Iran war and blame him for higher prices, while recent surveys put his approval at around 33 to 34 percent. Rising fuel costs tied to the war rank among voters' top concerns ahead of the midterms, with control of both chambers of Congress on the line.
Trump also used the rally to repeat a pledge that every US adult would receive $5,000 if Republicans win both chambers, a plan analysts say would cost more than $1 trillion and would require congressional approval. He also promised that the Defense Department would invest in reviving a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant in Kentucky if Republicans prevail.
The takeaway
With the conflict entering its eighth month, the president's promise of a "very quick" end and cheaper gas prices sets a clear benchmark against which voters will judge his leadership. Tehran, meanwhile, insists the war is unlawful, that its nuclear program remains compliant with international inspections, and that any lasting settlement must halt fighting across the region, including in Lebanon. Whether the battlefield delivers the swift conclusion Trump predicts will shape both the Middle East and the US midterm results.
Music in this post's reel: Kevin MacLeod - Volatile Reaction (incompetech.com), licensed under CC BY 3.0
Sources: The Economic Times; The Hindu BusinessLine; DT Next.