Trump says return to war with Iran unlikely if talks progress

In a telephone interview with CNN on 8 November, the US president said: “It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement.” He called further military action “highly unlikely” to be necessary, but added: “I would if necessary.”

Trump said US forces were ready to strike and that potential targets included Iranian bridges and power plants. His remarks were not a pledge to rule out further attacks.

Two days earlier, Trump said the US had carried out limited strikes targeting an Iranian air-defence system, the Associated Press reported. Iranian state media separately reported the sound of two explosions on Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said diplomatic negotiations had stalled, attributing the pause to the shock of the Republicans’ defeat in the US midterm elections, Dutch news agency ANP reported. He also urged Trump to decide on an Iranian proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz under certain conditions.

On 6 November, AP reported that Iran was reviewing proposals presented by Qatari mediators. Two regional officials told the agency that the ideas included access for international inspectors to bombed nuclear sites in exchange for lifting the US blockade and releasing some frozen Iranian funds. One official said Iran remained unwilling to enter nuclear talks until the US agreed to key conditions.