President Donald Trump told reporters returning from Texas rallies Tuesday about the Iran war: “It’s a question of when do I want to end it…” He said Iran has “wanted to make a deal, but they like tapping it along.”
Trump added: “Maybe they’re waiting for the election or something — but that’s not gonna help them.” At the Lubbock rally he repeated an answer he said he’d given before: “Somebody asked me before, ‘When will the war in Iran end?’ I said, ‘Whenever I want it to end.’”
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) answered in a post that has about 285,000 views. He wrote: “‘When will the war in Iran end? Whenever I want it to end.’ So much for the legal fiction that it isn’t a war.” He continued: “U.S. law and the Constitution prohibit the Executive branch from fighting a war that isn’t declared or authorized by Congress.”
Massie wrote in a reply to a follower who asked whether he was missing the humor: “He and Secretary Hegseth are waging an unconstitutional war while lawyers at the White House try to wordsmith their illegal acts.”
“When will the war in Iran end? Whenever I want it to end.” So much for the legal fiction that it isn’t a war.
U.S. law and the Constitution prohibit the Executive branch from fighting a war that isn’t declared or authorized by Congress. https://t.co/aBbTtXJ5jN
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) October 28, 2026
In the same thread he reposted a line from Pat Buchanan on Hannity in 2018: “Bibi Netanyahu, with due respect, wants the United States to fight a war against Iran on Israel’s behalf.”
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, answered Trump on X about the 14-point Memorandum of Understanding: “Washington’s contempt for diplomacy is once again laid bare.” He accused the U.S. of reneging on its commitments. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran “continues to give diplomacy a chance to succeed.”
The Associated Press reported, citing two diplomats, that U.S. diplomats and defense officials have told allies to “be prepared for potential renewed military action against Iran after next week’s midterm elections.”
They also warned allies that Iran may retaliate against them, including against energy facilities and other critical infrastructure. The diplomats said Trump has not made a final decision. The White House and U.S. officials declined to comment. Trump has said the war could end “in a couple of weeks, if you don’t mind.”
Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies questioned why Tehran would wait until after the U.S. elections if it could “potentially gain the upper hand.”