Trump Says War with Iran Is Highly Unlikely
US President Donald Trump said renewed fighting with Iran is "highly unlikely." He said this in a CNN interview on Sunday, before his meeting with Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House on Monday.
Trump added that his decision depends on whether Iran signs a "very strong agreement." He said, "I would if necessary, but we hit them really hard. I hit them so hard. You don't know how hard I hit them."
Meeting With Qatar's Prime Minister
Trump is scheduled to meet Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is also the country's foreign minister, at the White House on Monday.
This will be Trump's first meeting with a foreign leader since the midterm elections. His Republican Party lost control of Congress after a major defeat.
Iran Pauses Peace Talks
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that peace talks had been paused while the political effects of the US vote were being assessed.
Araghchi told state television, "For the past few days, there has been no more travel (by mediators), and the reason for this is the shock that the election results in the United States have caused to everyone."
He added, "We now have to see how long it will take for them to digest these results, in order to determine how we are going to move forward."
'They Had Enough'
Trump has acknowledged that the war on Iran, which began with US-Israeli strikes in late February, was at least partly responsible for the Republicans' defeat.
Araghchi said on Monday that Trump "clearly recognises that the vast majority of Americans are disgusted with Israel."
Araghchi said on X, "Americans are evidently sick and tired of Israel bamboozling US administrations into forever wars. They had enough. So has our region."
Economic Pressure and Recent Attacks
In the CNN interview, Trump said economic pressure on Iran will force its leaders to accept US terms.
Trump claimed, "They're a failing nation. It just came out, you saw this year, 301 per cent inflation. They're withering away financially. We've hit them militarily. We could finish them off."
Iran's official figures put inflation at nearly 90pc year-on-year in September.
Iranian state television said the island of Qeshm in the Strait of Hormuz was attacked overnight on Sunday. This came hours after the official IRNA news agency reported two explosions there.
Regional Efforts to Stop the War
Regional powers, including Qatar and Pakistan, have been trying for months without success to bring a definitive halt to the war.
Outright fighting has largely subsided. However, Iran continues its efforts to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, which is vital to global energy supplies. The US Navy maintains its own counterblockade of Iranian ports.
Source: dawn