'We didn't start Iran war': Trump creating excuse before admitting defeat as US midterms haunt?

“We didn’t start the war with Iran” — Donald Trump’s latest remarks are raising questions about how the US president is framing the conflict as the midterm elections approach. Trump has argued that tensions between Washington and Tehran date back to 1979, while defending US military action as necessary to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. But with the conflict carrying potential consequences for global oil supplies, energy prices and the wider economy, the political stakes are growing. Is Trump seeking to shift responsibility for the war, and could rising energy costs become a challenge for Republicans ahead of the US midterms?