President Donald Trump said the Iran war would end immediately after US midterm elections and attributed rising oil prices to the conflict. Oil reached $100 a barrel on Wednesday following US and Iran attacks on Gulf tankers and Houthi strikes on Saudi oil facilities. BBC reporter Sarah Smith asked attendees at the Republican Party's first midterms convention in Texas how they believed higher oil prices would affect the election.
Convention attendees weigh price impact
Attendees at the Republican gathering in Texas heard questions about how $100 oil might influence voter choices in the midterms. The discussion followed recent tanker incidents in the Gulf and attacks on Saudi facilities. BBC's Sarah Smith posed the questions directly to voters present at the party's first midterms convention in the state. The questions focused on the potential effect of the price rise on the upcoming election outcomes. No specific answers from voters appear in the source material.
Trump statements on timing and blame
Trump linked the end of the Iran war to the conclusion of the midterm elections and placed responsibility for oil price increases on the conflict. He stated the war will end immediately after the elections. No direct voter reactions were recorded in the available material. The statements came as oil prices responded to the Gulf region events and the strikes in Saudi Arabia. The timing of the remarks aligns with the approach of the midterms.
Market movement
Oil prices rose to $100 (£74) a barrel on Wednesday after the reported incidents involving US, Iranian and Houthi forces. The increases came after US and Iran attacks on tankers in the Gulf region and Yemen's Houthis hitting oil facilities in Saudi Arabia. [TO VERIFY: exact timing and attribution of all reported attacks]