From the Liveblog of
Thursday, October 22, 2026
Trump claims Iran ‘making up fake hits’ to drive up oil prices ahead of midterms
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJacob Magid is The Times of Israel's US bureau chief
US President Donald Trump claims “Iran is doing everything [it] can to drive up the price of oil prior to the US midterm election.”
“They are even making up fake hits, mines and everything else because more oil is coming through the Hormuz Strait now than it did even prior to the beginning of the conflict,” Trump writes on Truth Social.
Earlier this month, though, Trump claimed it was Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, not the Iran war, that has been driving oil prices up.
“They continue to kill protestors and anyone else that happens to be in their way. It is truly an evil regime, and I can only hope the American public and the world understands how EVIL they are! 75,000 protestors lie dead in less than seven months. It is shocking how the world… seem[s] not to care.
“IRAN CAN NEVER HAVE A NUCLEAR WEAPON, AND THEY WILL NEVER A NUCLEAR WEAPON!” he adds in all-caps.
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