Barrack Says US Could "Absolutely" Strike Iran This Weekend; White House Had Ruled Out a Strike Before the Midterms on Thursday

Tom Barrack, the US ambassador to Turkiye and a special envoy, told X podcast host Mario Nawfal that Washington could "absolutely" strike Iran this weekend, when asked about the chance of an attack in the coming days. Al Jazeera reported the remarks on Friday, 23 October 2026 (1 Aban 1405), and Donya-e-Eqtesad, citing ILNA, carried them in the early hours of Saturday, 24 October 2026 (2 Aban 1405).

Barrack said Donald Trump is "open and available" for a deal but has been clear about what he wants; any possible military action, he said, would not aim at regime change but at "rebalancing" so there are no hostages and no threats. ILNA wrote that White House deputy spokesperson Anna Kelly had stressed on Thursday, 22 October 2026 (30 Mehr 1405), that the United States would not attack Iran before the congressional midterm elections on 3 November 2026 (12 Aban 1405). The two statements, from two US officials, do not match, and neither is an announcement of an official decision.