By Ade Oyeyemi
United States President Donald Trump has said a resumption of military hostilities with Iran is unlikely, although he warned that Washington could launch fresh attacks if Tehran fails to accept what he described as a strong agreement.
Trump made the remarks in a CNN interview on Sunday, ahead of his scheduled meeting with Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, at the White House on Monday.
The US president’s comments came weeks after he threatened renewed military action against Iran, amid reports that Washington was considering restarting strikes following last Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Describing a fresh confrontation as “highly unlikely”, Trump said the possibility of further military action would depend on Iran’s willingness to sign an agreement acceptable to the United States.
“I would if necessary, but we hit them really hard. I hit them so hard. You don’t know how hard I hit them,” he told CNN.
The planned meeting with the Qatari leader, who also serves as the country’s foreign minister, is expected to take place amid renewed diplomatic efforts to prevent the conflict from escalating.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, indicated that diplomatic efforts had slowed following the outcome of the US midterm elections.
Speaking on Iranian state television on Sunday, Araghchi said mediators had suspended their recent movements while countries assessed the political implications of the election results.
He said the diplomatic process would depend partly on how quickly the parties involved evaluated the developments in Washington.
Araghchi also criticised Washington’s relationship with Israel, arguing that American opposition to the war had grown because of what he described as Israel’s influence over US foreign policy.
In a post on X on Monday, he said Americans were increasingly opposed to being drawn into prolonged conflicts in the Middle East.
Trump, who has acknowledged that the unpopular war with Iran contributed to the Republican Party’s poor performance in the midterm elections, again pointed to Tehran’s economic difficulties as a factor that could compel it to accept Washington’s demands.
He claimed that Iran was experiencing severe inflation and financial instability, adding that the US military had inflicted significant damage on the country.
However, Iran’s official figures put year-on-year inflation at nearly 90 per cent in September, considerably below the 301 per cent figure cited by Trump.
Tensions also persisted around the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic shipping route responsible for a significant share of global energy supplies.
Iranian state television reported that Qeshm Island, located in the strait, came under attack overnight on Sunday, following earlier reports of explosions by the official IRNA news agency.
Although large-scale fighting has largely subsided, Iran has continued efforts to restrict access through the Strait of Hormuz, while the US Navy maintains a counter-blockade targeting Iranian ports.
Qatar, Pakistan and other regional powers have continued diplomatic efforts to secure a lasting end to the conflict, but their attempts have yet to produce a definitive agreement.
