Trump rules out near-term strikes
Donald Trump told CNN on Sunday 8 November that a renewed large-scale attack on Iran is highly unlikely while negotiations over Iran's nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz keep moving. He tied any return to fighting to whether Tehran signs a very strong agreement, and the interview reports show he repeated the point several times. Trump described Iran as a country in decline and claimed its inflation had reached 301% this year. He also said the United States had hit Iran very hard, militarily and financially, and could finish the job if it chose to.
Military options on the table
Trump said three aircraft carriers are now in the region, the most recent having just arrived, and that US forces are ready to act if ordered. Reports indicate that US Central Command has identified infrastructure targets inside Iran, including power plants and bridges, for use if operations resume. Trump said 38 bridges were in his sights and could be brought down within an hour, but added that he did not want to do it because rebuilding them would take about ten years. He said bridges are among the hardest structures to build and described himself as a good builder.
- United States and Israel begin the war against Iran in late February
- Lull in combat since September
- Midterm elections: Republicans lose control of both chambers of Congress
- Trump tells CNN new large-scale strikes on Iran are highly improbable
- Trump to receive Qatar's prime minister at the White House
Talks stall as Rubio sees no progress
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters in Washington that he had no progress to report. He described some Iranian demands as unacceptable, in some cases laughable and unrealistic, and said he would not describe the two sides as being on the threshold of a breakthrough. Rubio added that Trump always seeks to solve problems through diplomacy. Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that mediators had made no trips since the shock the midterm results had caused, and that it would take time before conditions favoured their return, so patience was needed. Araghchi also posted on X that American voters had made their choice and that the White House now had to make its own.
Midterms and Qatari mediation
Republicans lost their majority in both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections on 3 November, with higher fuel prices linked to the war cited among the causes. Trump acknowledged that the oil price spike caused by the conflict had contributed substantially to the result. A Democratic-majority Congress is due to take office in January, leaving the president a few weeks of room before he faces both chambers. Trump is due to receive Qatar's prime minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, at the White House on Monday 9 November, his first meeting with a foreign leader since the defeat. Qatar's prime minister had said earlier that Washington still wanted to find a solution after the elections, with any deal addressing Iran's nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz first.
The wider ceasefire picture
The United States and Israel started the war against Iran in late February, and direct fighting has eased considerably since September. Iran continues efforts to block the Strait of Hormuz, which is vital for global energy supplies, while the US Navy maintains its own counter-blockade of Iranian ports. Both Washington and Tehran are still reported to be attacking vessels in the strait. Iranian state media said explosions in southern Iran were linked to the country's own military activity rather than US strikes, and it is not confirmed that blasts heard near Qeshm island came from air attacks. Several regional powers, including Qatar and Pakistan, have tried for months without success to end the war for good.