https://www.cnicnews.com/articles daily 1.0 2026-10-21 https://www.cnicnews.com/articles/iran-midterms-leverage-economic-cost monthly 0.5 2026-10-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ac30c395419ea19832a5a62/fd936708-ae20-4c86-9100-0863adb36235/nDvU94a7U7IkAWd4vYlkT_SOU3i8-Pn2eEcdJDxS600kXzfLg69JD_MpiKr0bQQlLm8IjlwKXhB9iMCGN8lCENk7rVi1UUOF5ECjt3tkwV8GHDOBLSQWUxf51HQCGCF-7Jaribrw_CY19Uyc--lF5fQNbJBFa__ajCkEqY1SAjQmXuNbEVaWEq8Vie5lsse6.jpg Articles - Iran Is Using the Midterms as Leverage. But at What Cost? The U.S. Navy replenishment ship USNS Leroy Grumman transits the Strait of Hormuz in December 2020. The strategic waterway has become central to Iran's efforts to exert economic pressure on Washington ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Photo credit: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Indra Beaufort. Public domain. Archival image, December 2020. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ac30c395419ea19832a5a62/15d83986-045b-4bc1-8173-f82b874af304/7q9Jbf_ng_j8Bag6IWDnKObzI6CDQNIiDTsCK2lx74e09TMqv30hkwyFh8eqxBzEK_0SMG_SLWtrBXOIEzRuhNac0jH79mjUT_srqP2iyg6bSPdoxGsym2Umc2kOJY040DBrWooV6HyLP8eo2W-9N2QfaeX3y_wnF5_yM3hIN1Odu9ZLv_wRHJWJNi50AhO.jpg Articles - Iran Is Using the Midterms as Leverage. But at What Cost? The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, providing a critical passage for international energy shipments. Disruptions to traffic through the strait can affect oil markets far beyond the Middle East. Map credit: Goran_tek-en / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Includes OpenStreetMap data. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ac30c395419ea19832a5a62/597ae4a7-1a0b-42d3-84b8-204d0ae4aa83/vYgyqdUvcyl1QRPMceBVpBHOz2NWOH658G39tjvPjljYC33bbix1yy-GjQR9BGTzT8JrpfEp-TpfU6uiHENUMNt4vGBGY0S1HK4tmmxpChfvBhSInIMWSX8MAbfjoDeDGxnTjQDvVrJfL5-XJ8oyhYzD_RvBEtLFA9YBxUFR9TX6ZIK-Tp-QTKc0bjQ2z9d.jpg Articles - Iran Is Using the Midterms as Leverage. But at What Cost? Tehran's Grand Bazaar, photographed in 2019. Long before the current conflict, Iranian households and businesses were contending with economic sanctions, inflation, and a weakening currency. The war has intensified those pressures. Photo credit: Brunobuisson / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0. Archival photograph, August 2019. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ac30c395419ea19832a5a62/1a116911-ea23-4a8d-9a53-baf1ab2d6a27/Untitled-2.jpg Articles - Iran Is Using the Midterms as Leverage. But at What Cost? Iran's annual-average inflation reached 73.6% in September 2026, while prices were 89.8% higher than in September 2025. The figures measure different periods and illustrate the severity of Iran's inflation crisis. Graphic credit: CNIC News. Data: Statistical Centre of Iran, as reported by Reuters and IranWire. https://www.cnicnews.com/articles/iran-war-prewar-assessment monthly 0.5 2026-10-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ac30c395419ea19832a5a62/6f4f70da-b0d1-48f9-8ba1-48240bfa2118/1000w_q95.webp Articles - Iran Posed a Threat. Was War the Only Answer? An F/A-18E Super Hornet prepares to launch from USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea, Jan. 29, 2026. Credit: U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Daniel Kimmelman / DVIDS https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ac30c395419ea19832a5a62/6f025a13-adf8-48e7-bc16-fa2d39f1d5dd/NASA_FIRMS_2025-06-19_Natanz_%28close-up%29.png Articles - Iran Posed a Threat. Was War the Only Answer? NASA satellite imagery of the Natanz nuclear facility area, June 19, 2025. Credit: NASA LANCE FIRMS / ESDIS https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ac30c395419ea19832a5a62/10e45722-42e2-4700-a4c6-8c3c8930872b/US_bases_in_the_Middle_East.svg.webp Articles - Iran Posed a Threat. Was War the Only Answer? - Make it stand out U.S. military bases and facilities across the Middle East before the war. Many installations in the Gulf were within range of existing Iranian missile and drone systems. Credit: Map by Wikideas1 / Wikimedia Commons https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ac30c395419ea19832a5a62/6815eb05-3add-4f3c-8ef5-9ee872ec40ef/Untitled-1.jpg Articles - Iran Posed a Threat. Was War the Only Answer? - Make it stand out U.S. soldiers with a Patriot air-defense system in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, Feb. 19, 2025. Patriot and THAAD interceptors were among the systems needed to protect American forces from Iranian missile attacks. Credit: U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Clara Harty / DVIDS https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ac30c395419ea19832a5a62/67d27c2d-1a1e-4e62-8c6a-bedaeb9f62a6/abfef556-8da2-4a23-a73c-e01d29b291d6.png Articles - Iran Posed a Threat. Was War the Only Answer? - Make it stand out The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. Saudi and Emirati pipelines can bypass the strait, but their capacity can replace only a fraction of the oil normally moving through it. Credit: Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration, June 2024. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/6ac30c395419ea19832a5a62/9de2d4a7-2c7f-41fe-ae26-baf492ada5e4/1000w_q95+%281%29.webp Articles - Iran Posed a Threat. Was War the Only Answer? - Make it stand out Iranian small boats pass near the guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham and USNS Invincible during a transit of the Strait of Hormuz, Nov. 14, 2018. 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