U.S. President Donald Trump on Oct. 8 said the United States will not launch new strikes against Iran before the November elections, because of ongoing discussions between his administration and the Islamic regime.

Fighting between the United States and Iran has mostly stalled in recent weeks; the U.S. military launched its most recent strikes against the country in early September. A naval blockade that was reimposed in July is ongoing.

“We are having productive discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, adding that he wants “to make it clear to everybody that, while Iran is in very bad condition” because of a U.S. pressure campaign against the country, the United States “will not be attacking Iran at any time prior to the Midterm Elections to be held in the United States on November 3rd.”

Trump, as he was campaigning for Republican candidates this week, has suggested that he is confident that an end to the war could come in the days around the midterms. He also has signaled that his administration is open to renewing strikes against Iran.

The blockade of Iranian ports “will remain in full force and effect,” Trump wrote in his post, and he said that 22 million barrels of oil passed through the strategic Strait of Hormuz waterway on the evening of Oct. 7 “with not one barrel coming from, or going to, Iran.”

Trump has also often said he expects oil ​prices to ​drop sharply ⁠after the elections, but elevated gas prices have weighed ​heavily on Republican candidates before November’s contests.

In February, the United States and Israel carried out an initial wave of strikes on Iran, instantly removing dozens of regime leaders. But American voters have expressed frustration in opinion polls about resulting elevated gas and energy prices ahead of the midterms.

According to data published by the American Automobile Association (AAA) on Oct. 8, U.S. gas prices were hovering around $4.36 per gallon, down about 5 cents from the previous week but up 21 cents from a month ago. The average price one year ago was $3.11 per gallon, AAA’s figures show.

Diesel hit a record high on Sept. 22 when the average price stood at $6.52 per gallon, according to AAA. The price dropped to $6.28 per gallon by Oct. 8.

Trump’s post came as the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), the military command responsible for Iran operations, wrote in a statement on Oct. 8 that it briefed its “international shipping partners” on the Hormuz Strait. It said that in recent months, 1.25 billion barrels of oil had passed through the strait while Iran had shipped none because of the “ironclad blockade” of its ports.

In recent days, the United States and Iran have exchanged proposals on ending the war and reopening the strait. Since the start of the conflict, Iran has threatened or attacked commercial shipping in the waterway.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said through a state-run media report on Oct. 8 that U.S.–Iran negotiations continue and that messages have been sent through mediators.

“We presented our proposal, which was put forward under the title of the ‘seven-day plan,’ and we also heard the American side’s views in response,” he said, according to state-run Tasnim News.

“We are currently reviewing the Americans’ views, and I think we will present our response within the next few days,” he said.

But that same day, an Iranian defense official and general, Majid Ebn al-Reza, threatened possible attacks on the United States itself.

“The distance between you and us is determined by our missiles,” he said, according to Tasnim.