16 minutes ago
US President Donald Trump has said it is “highly unlikely” that he would need to order fresh military strikes against Iran, provided negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz make progress.
In a 20-minute phone interview with CNN on Sunday, Trump repeated the assessment five times, while warning that US forces were prepared to resume military action if Iran failed to agree to a strong deal.
“It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement,” Trump said, adding that the US had already inflicted significant military and economic damage on Iran.
“The answer is highly unlikely it's going to be necessary. They’re a failing nation. It just came out, you saw this year, 301% inflation,” he said.
Trump also warned that Washington could deliver further military blows if required. “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 added.
US FORCES READY FOR FRESH STRIKES
Eight months after the war began, the US and Iran remain locked in a stalemate, with limited military activity and little progress in diplomatic negotiations. Meanwhile, oil tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz have faced Iranian attacks.
Trump said US forces remained prepared for renewed military action, claiming that three American aircraft carriers were deployed in the region and fully equipped for combat.
“We’re ready for it. I’ve got three aircraft carriers here. The other one just arrived. We have three. They’re fully locked and loaded,” he told CNN.
He also revealed that Washington had identified infrastructure targets inside Iran, including power plants and bridges, that could be struck if hostilities resumed.
“We have 38 bridges in our site that we can knock down in literally one hour. They’ll all be down,” Trump said.
However, he expressed reluctance to destroy Iranian infrastructure, arguing that rebuilding it could take years.
“I don’t want to do that because essentially, it’ll take 10 years to rebuild them,” he said.
DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS CONTINUE
Diplomatic activity across the Middle East has intensified since last week's US midterm elections, which were seen as a setback for Trump's Republican Party amid voter dissatisfaction over the war.
Iranian hardliners have viewed the election results as a sign of political weakness in Washington, potentially strengthening Tehran's position in negotiations.
On Friday, Qatar said Trump had spoken with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to discuss efforts to de-escalate tensions.
A day earlier, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held discussions with counterparts from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Pakistan, Kuwait, Jordan, Turkey, Cyprus and Qatar.
However, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio played down expectations of an imminent breakthrough.
“I wouldn’t say we’re on the verge of a breakthrough,” Rubio told reporters in Florida before departing for the G7 foreign ministers' meeting in Paris.
He described Iran's demands as unacceptable, outrageous and unrealistic, adding that negotiations had so far failed to make meaningful progress.
TRUMP CLAIMS IRAN'S MISSILE, DRONE CAPABILITIES WEAKENED
Trump also claimed that US military strikes had destroyed Iran's air defence systems and significantly reduced its missile and drone capabilities.
According to the US President, Iran now retains just 10 per cent of its missile capacity and around 15 per cent of its drone capabilities, with much of its manufacturing infrastructure destroyed.
“The only thing they can do is about 10% level — make some missiles and make some drones. Drones at about 15% because much of their factories are gone,” he said.
Trump reiterated that he believed renewed military action would most likely not be necessary, claiming that Tehran was eager to reach an agreement with Washington.
“Most likely it will not be necessary. They want to make a deal so badly,” he said.
- Ends
