The Trump Iran war is highly unlikely to resume, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday, but he warned that his decision depends on whether Tehran signs “a very strong agreement”. He made the remarks in an interview with CNN on Sunday, ahead of a meeting with Qatar’s prime minister at the White House on Monday.
Trump told CNN renewed fighting was “highly unlikely”, as long as talks made progress on Tehran’s nuclear programme and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. He repeated the phrase during a 20-minute phone interview with CNN.
“It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement,” Trump said. “The answer is highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary. They’re a failing nation.”
He added: “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 has threatened in recent weeks to resume strikes, and US media had suggested hostilities could restart after last Tuesday’s midterm elections. The president 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. It will be his first meeting with a foreign leader since the midterms, in which his Republican Party lost control of Congress.
Talks paused after the midterms
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that peace talks had paused while the political fallout of the vote was being assessed.
“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,” Araghchi told state television. “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.”
On Monday, Araghchi said the US president “clearly recognises that the vast majority of Americans are disgusted with Israel”, adding on X that Americans had “had enough” of being drawn into forever wars.
Trump has acknowledged that the war on Iran, which began with US-Israeli strikes in late February, was at least partly behind the Republicans’ defeat.
Trump again suggested that economic pressure would force Iran’s leaders to accept US terms. “They’re a failing nation. It just came out, you saw this year, 301 per cent inflation,” he claimed. “They’re withering away financially. We’ve hit them militarily. We could finish them off.”
Iran’s official figures put inflation at nearly 90 per cent year-on-year in September, far below the figure Trump cited.
Fighting has largely subsided
Outright fighting has largely subsided, but the standoff continues. Iran is still trying to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, vital to global energy supplies, while the US Navy maintains its own counterblockade of Iranian ports.
Iranian state television said Qeshm island in the Strait of Hormuz was attacked overnight on Sunday, hours after the official IRNA news agency reported two explosions there.
Qatar and Pakistan are among the regional powers that have spent months trying, without success, to bring a definitive halt to the war. On Friday, Araghchi spoke with counterparts from nine countries, including Pakistan. Qatar, which is mediating, is circulating a framework document that both sides are amending.
On Friday, Qatar said Trump had called Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to discuss de-escalation. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday, before leaving for the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Paris, that a resolution did not appear close.
Why the Trump Iran war matters for Pakistan
Pakistan sits close to the conflict in more ways than one. It shares a long border with Iran, buys energy through markets shaped by the Strait of Hormuz, and has been part of the diplomatic effort to stop the war. Any return to fighting would push oil prices up and put pressure on Pakistan’s fuel import bill, which is already a strain on the economy.
That is why the quiet diplomacy matters as much as the public threats. The United States has set up a task force to enforce a land blockade of Iran, and the earlier strikes have already affected Pakistan, including through attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, back-channel contacts have continued, including the contact between US Vice President J.D. Vance and Pakistan’s army chief, and Washington has offered a $20 million reward over Iran’s nuclear programme.
For now, the signals point in two directions: Trump says war is unlikely, yet keeps the threat of force on the table.
Frequently asked questions
What did Trump say about a new Iran war?
Trump told CNN on Sunday that renewed fighting was “highly unlikely”, but said his decision “depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement”. He repeated the phrase five times in a 20-minute phone interview.
Who is mediating between the US and Iran?
Qatar is mediating and circulating a framework document that both sides are amending. Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Jordan, Turkey, Cyprus and Qatar have all been involved in the diplomatic effort.
What is the state of the talks?
The talks appear to have paused since the US midterm elections. Iran’s foreign minister says mediators have stopped travelling while Washington absorbs the election result, and the US secretary of state says a resolution does not appear to be close.
What did Araghchi say?
Abbas Araghchi said peace talks were paused because of the shock the US election results caused. He also said most Americans were “disgusted with Israel” and had “had enough” of being drawn into forever wars.
How does this affect Pakistan?
Pakistan borders Iran and depends on energy markets shaped by the Strait of Hormuz. A return to war would push oil prices up and raise Pakistan’s fuel import bill. Pakistan has also been part of the mediation effort to end the war.
