Republican strategist Karl Rove said Wednesday he expects President Trump will resume U.S. strikes against Iran once the midterm elections are safely in the rearview mirror - because why let voters weigh in on a war before you escalate it?

Rove made his prediction on Fox News's "The Brian Kilmeade Show," where host Brian Kilmeade asked the former adviser to former President George W. Bush whether "we go back to kinetic action in Iran?" Rove, ever the optimist, replied: "He has sort of signaled it. And if you look at what's happening on the ground - two aircraft carriers in the region, a third one on the way, plus enough ground forces, plus enough air assets. If I were the Iranians, I'd be certainly thinking that's what's coming my way after the election." Nothing like a little post-election surprise to keep the troops motivated.

Trump has warned that the U.S. could attack Tehran after the midterms, and U.S. Central Command (Centcom) reportedly has plans ready to resume strikes if the White House gives the go-ahead, according to a source who spoke to The Hill. The $47 billion war against Iran has been at a standstill - no ceasefire, no peace deal, just a lot of expensive equipment sitting around waiting for someone to press a button.

Trump, meanwhile, has been touting American military prowess, claiming at a campaign rally in Montana earlier this month that Iran's army is "decimated" and its "leaders are gone." He then quipped, "I should have probably left their leaders because I don't know who the hell we're negotiating with." A rare moment of self-awareness, immediately followed by the usual claim that the conflict will soon come to an end - a promise that has aged like milk for the past eight months.

The U.S. military currently has more than 50,000 service members in the Middle East and about 20 warships, some of which are helping enforce the naval blockade in the Arabian Sea. Two aircraft carrier strike groups are already in the region, and a third - the USS Theodore Roosevelt, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier - is heading to the Centcom area, possibly to relieve the USS George Washington. Because nothing says "de-escalation" like a third carrier group.

The eight-month conflict has caused a global energy shortage after Iran effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz, where roughly 20 percent of the world's oil is exported. Soaring gas prices have become a key issue in the midterm elections, and voters might just punish Republican lawmakers at the ballot box next week. AAA estimated Thursday that the national average for gas in the U.S. is $4.23 - a $1.20 jump from this time last year. So much for "drill, baby, drill" - more like "pay, baby, pay."