Trump says that a resumption of war with the Iranian regime is ‘highly unlikely,’ but is maintaining military pressure on Tehran
The president told CNN in an interview on Sunday that renewed fighting was "highly unlikely," but warned that his decision "depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement."
President Donald Trump
President Donald Trump stated this Sunday that a resumption of hostilities with Iran is "highly unlikely," provided that Tehran makes progress toward an agreement on its nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The statement, made during a telephone interview with CNN, comes at a delicate moment for diplomacy, following the Republicans' crushing defeat in the midterms and with Qatar preparing a new mediation proposal.
"The answer is highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary... I would if necessary, but we hit them really hard. I hit them so hard. You don’t know how hard I hit them," Trump told CNN, reiterating five times during the interview that a resumption of attacks is "very unlikely." The president made his decision contingent on Iran signing "a very strong agreement" on its nuclear program and the reopening of the strait.
Trump meets with Qatar's prime minister
The president is scheduled to meet this Monday at the White House with Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House on Monday, in what will be his first meeting with a foreign leader since the Republicans' crushing defeat in the midterms. Qatar has recently presented a new "bridge" proposal that seeks to establish a 48-hour framework of trust to pave the way for formal negotiations on Iran's nuclear program and the terms for ending the conflict.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio however, stated that there is no imminent diplomatic breakthrough and that negotiations with Iran had not progressed. An anonymous U.S. official confirmed to Reuters that Vice President JD Vance is also scheduled to hold talks with the Qatari prime minister.
Iranian state television reported that the island of Qeshm, in the Strait of Hormuz, was attacked on Sunday night, hours after the official IRNA news agency reported two explosions in the area. Qatar and Pakistan, along with other regional powers, have been trying unsuccessfully for months to secure a permanent ceasefire, and Qatar's new "bridge proposal" represents the latest attempt to prevent a resumption of hostilities.
Trump insists on economic pressure on Iran
In the interview with CNN, Trump reiterated that economic pressure on Iran will force its leaders to accept U.S. terms. "They're a failing nation. It just came out, you saw this year, 301 percent inflation," Trump said, a figure that contrasts with official Iranian data, which puts inflation at nearly 90% year-over-year in September.
"They're withering away financially. We've hit them militarily. We could finish them off," Trump added, also revealing that U.S. forces had identified critical infrastructure targets in Iran, including 38 bridges that could be destroyed within an hour if military action resumes. The president maintained that Iran "wants a deal so badly" that resuming the attacks "will probably not be necessary."
Politics
JD Vance's calculated break with Trump: He blames war with Iran for election defeat, seeks support of disillusioned Republicans
Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón
Araghchi: Peace talks are on hold
"Now we have to see how long it will take them to digest these results to determine how we're going to move forward," added the Iranian foreign minister, who called for patience and emphasized that "it will take some time before the environment is favorable for the resumption of the mediators' trips."
In a previous message on X, Araghchi wrote: "American voters have made their choice. Time for the White House to make its own," and warned that if Washington does not accept Iran's conditions, it will "choose war, and see our alert and battle-hardened Warriors rain down hell."
🛠 Do you think there is an error in this article?
Recommendations
LATEST
