Trump Says Renewed War With Iran Depends on Whether Tehran Signs a Deal
US President Donald Trump told CNN that resuming hostilities against Iran is very unlikely if talks make progress. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said peace talks are suspended following the US midterm election results.
US President Donald Trump said in a CNN interview on 8 November that a resumption of the war with Iran is "very unlikely" if negotiations make progress. The Middle East conflict, which began on 28 February this year, continues to affect the region and the global economy, so the course of the talks matters for both security and oil markets.
In recent weeks Trump had threatened to resume strikes, and US media suggested that fighting could restart after the midterm elections. On Sunday he said the decision is "dependent on whether they sign a very strong agreement". If necessary, he would resume military action, he added, saying Iran had already been hit very hard.
Trump also acknowledged that the deeply unpopular war was at least partly to blame for the heavy defeat of his Republican Party in Tuesday's elections. He stressed that economic pressure would force Iran's leaders to accept a peace deal on US terms, and claimed that inflation in Iran this year has reached 301%.
Iran's position
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state television that peace talks have been suspended while the political consequences of the Democratic Party's decisive victory are assessed. According to him, mediators have not travelled in recent days because of the shock the US election results caused. Iran now has to see how long it takes the Americans to digest the results, he said.
Iran continues to block traffic through the Strait of Hormuz at least partially, which restricts oil supplies from the Persian Gulf. This has pushed up petrol prices in the US and added to the war's unpopularity.
Course of the conflict
Hostilities began on 28 February, when the US and Israel struck Iran. Iran responded with attacks on US allies, and the conflict affected much of the region. A ceasefire was announced in April, and on 15 June an agreement to end hostilities was reached. On 20 June Iran said it was closing the Strait of Hormuz again, and on 12 July US forces struck more than 140 military targets in Iran.
