President Trump predicted Wednesday that the war with Iran will end “immediately after” November’s midterm elections, even as oil prices jumped back above $100 a barrel and gasoline climbed to its highest level of the conflict.

Why it matters: Trump is now explicitly tying the war’s endgame to the midterm calendar, a bet that voters will tolerate near-record gas and diesel prices a little longer in exchange for a promised resolution at the ballot box — according to the Washington Examiner.

Driving the news:

  • Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews, en route to the GOP’s midterm convention in Dallas, “I think the war is going to end immediately after the election because they can’t hold out any longer” — via Breitbart.

  • He accused Iran of deliberately dragging out the conflict to help elect a “nice, weak group of people” in Congress who would ease pressure on Tehran’s nuclear ambitions — via Breitbart.

  • Trump said the U.S. has destroyed roughly nine Iranian vessels since the conflict escalated, the latest a strike on five IRGC-linked oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near Kharg Island — via the Washington Examiner.

  • Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran “continues to pay a price” every time it attacks U.S. ships — via Breitbart.

By the numbers:

  • $100.87 — Brent crude’s price per barrel, up about 3% and its first close above $100 since late July, per the Washington Examiner.

  • $95.79 — West Texas Intermediate crude, up nearly 3% the same day.

  • $4.22 — the national average price for a gallon of gasoline, up a nickel in a single day and more than $1 higher than a year ago.

  • $5.94 — the national average diesel price; analyst Patrick De Haan warned $6 diesel is “days away.”

  • 9 — Iranian vessels Trump says the U.S. has destroyed since the conflict began, including the 5 oil tankers hit this week.

What they’re saying: “They are desperate to try to affect the election so that we can get a nice, weak group of people in there,” Trump said of Iran’s strategy — via Breitbart. On Tehran’s ambitions: “All they want is a nuclear weapon. If they had a nuclear weapon, the whole world would be in deep trouble.” He also dismissed a renewed nuclear deal on Iran’s terms, saying an agreement without tougher conditions “isn’t worth the paper it’s written on.”

The other side: Democrats have made the run-up in gas and diesel prices a central midterm argument against the president. House Democrats’ campaign chair Rep. Suzan DelBene has called the spike “another broken promise,” arguing Trump “went into this war without thinking through the implications” after pledging to lower costs and avoid new foreign conflicts — via Fox News. The White House has countered that the price spike is temporary and will “plummet back” once the operation against Iran concludes.

What’s next:

  • November’s midterm elections, which Trump has now cast as the trigger for the war’s end.

  • More U.S. strikes on Iranian tankers and warships — Trump said “you’re going to see a lot more.”

  • Diesel prices crossing the $6-a-gallon mark nationally, which GasBuddy’s Patrick De Haan says could happen within days.

The bottom line: Trump has turned the war’s endgame into a midterm talking point, betting voters will stick with him through near-record pump prices for the promise of a resolution on Election Day.

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