According to an October 8 Bloomberg report, The Atlantic cited two U.S. government officials stating that the White House has asked the Pentagon to develop strike options against Iranian targets, and that such actions could be implemented before the midterm elections next month. This report directly contradicted the market's previous widespread expectation that Donald Trump would maintain a relatively restrained posture before the elections. U.S. President Donald Trump publicly stated on October 6 that military action against Iran "must be brought to an end," adding that the only remaining question was "whether it's a soft ending or a tough ending."