Trump on Iran: Fresh fighting ‘highly unlikely’ ahead of Qatar talks
By: Abudu Olalekan
US President Donald Trump says renewed fighting with Iran is “highly unlikely,” though he has not ruled out further strikes if Tehran refuses to accept a strong agreement.
Speaking to CNN on Sunday, ahead of a White House meeting with Qatar’s prime minister, Trump struck a less threatening tone after weeks of warnings that US attacks could resume.
But there was a condition. His decision, he said, “depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement.”
“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 said.
His comments followed US media reports suggesting hostilities could restart after last Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Trump is due to meet Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s prime minister and foreign minister, on Monday. Qatar has been among the countries trying to broker an end to the conflict.
The meeting will be Trump’s first with a foreign leader since a major midterm defeat cost his Republican Party control of Congress.
In Tehran, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested diplomatic efforts had slowed while those involved assessed the election’s fallout.
“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 told state television on Sunday.
“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,” he added.
Trump has acknowledged that the deeply unpopular war, which began with US-Israeli strikes in late February, contributed at least partly to the Republicans’ losses.
Araghchi offered his own interpretation on Monday, claiming Trump “clearly recognises that the vast majority of Americans are disgusted with Israel.”
“Americans are evidently sick and tired of Israel bamboozling US administrations into Forever Wars,” he wrote on X. “They had enough. So has our region.”
Trump, meanwhile, argued that economic pressure would push Iran’s leaders towards Washington’s terms.
“They’re a failing nation. It just came out, you saw this year, 301 per cent inflation,” he claimed during the CNN interview. “They’re withering away financially. We’ve hit them militarily. We could finish them off.”
That inflation claim differs sharply from Iran’s official figures, which put the annual rate at nearly 90 per cent in September.
Despite the diplomatic efforts, reports of violence have continued. Iranian state television said Qeshm island, in the Strait of Hormuz, came under attack overnight Sunday. Hours earlier, the official IRNA news agency had reported two explosions there.
Qatar, Pakistan and other regional powers have spent months trying to secure a definitive end to the war. So far, those efforts have not produced a lasting settlement.
Large-scale fighting has mostly eased. The maritime standoff has not. Iran continues efforts to block the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global energy supplies, while the US Navy maintains a counterblockade of Iranian ports.
Olalekan A. Abudu is a seasoned and dedicated News Journalist at REPORTERS ROOM, with over eight years of experience. He specializes in politics, climate change, health, and education, while also covering security, economic, and judicial issues. Committed to accuracy and balanced reporting, Olalekan exemplifies the principles of public-interest journalism.