US President Donald Trump said he expected the war with Iran to end after the November US midterm elections and threatened again to attack a site associated with the Islamic Republic’s nuclear programme after the two sides launched their biggest wave of attacks on shipping since the start of the six-month-old war.Tensions in the region were high, with Saudi civil defence authorities on Thursday issuing emergency alerts in ‌the southwest city of Khamis Mushait for the fourth time in 24 hours, as clashes flared with Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis.Brent crude prices hovered above US$100 a barrel as supply routes through both the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea remained heavily disrupted.Iran said it had attacked 10 ships near the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday after the US sank five Iranian oil tankers, the latest in a series of tit-for-tat strikes that have signalled scant chance of an imminent end to hostilities.The war and subsequent increase in fuel prices have helped drive Trump’s popularity to record lows. The president said Tehran was trying ⁠to influence the November US midterm elections, which will determine whether his Republican Party retains control of Congress.“I think war is going to end immediately after the ‌election because they can’t hold out any longer. They’re desperate to try and affect the election,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday.