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Your Iran Questions, Answered

Today, we hand the mic over to reporters covering diplomacy, the White House, the Middle East and more.

Listen · 12:27 min

I’m the host of The World.

Aug. 31, 2026Leer en español

Returning from a peaceful holiday is never easy, especially when the real world is so far from peaceful. The first headline greeting me was the U.S. and Iran exchanging fire for the first time in a month. An end to the war that began six months ago remains as elusive as ever.

Many of you responded to our callout for your questions about the war in Iran. Thank you. Below are a few that came up a lot, with answers from my colleagues.

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Your questions about the Iran war, answered

How far might Trump go? If he were to lose the November election, could the situation spiral out of control? — Flavio Nardini, Italy

David Sanger, who covers the White House and national security, writes:

It is difficult to know how far President Trump will go with the Iran war; he revels in unpredictability. But all the recent indications suggest that, at least for the immediate future, he is unlikely to return to full-scale military action. Clearly, it did not produce the results he anticipated. He’s now back to economic sanctions. But if there is a significant event — say, an Iranian attack that kills Americans or a major cyberattack on the U.S. — that could change. And the U.S. seems likely to keep a major military presence in the region for the foreseeable future.

One note on the midterms: If Democrats perform strongly and they win the House or Senate, or both, the investigations into the war will begin as soon as they take control.

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