Trump Says Resuming Military Action Against Iran Is Very Unlikely if Talks Progress

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday in an interview with CNN that resuming military action against Iran is "very unlikely" provided talks make progress. Iran's foreign minister, however, says peace negotiations with the US are on hold. The standoff bears on efforts to reach a peace deal after the US-Iran war, and on oil supplies and fuel prices.

Trump: decision depends on a deal

Over recent weeks Trump had threatened to resume strikes, and US media had suggested fighting could restart after this week's US midterm elections. In the CNN interview he said it was very unlikely to be necessary, though he would resume action if needed. Trump stressed that Iran had been hit "really hard".

He warned that the decision depends on whether Iran signs a "very strong agreement". Trump also repeated that economic pressure on Iran would force its leaders to accept a peace deal on US terms. He claimed that inflation in Iran this year is 301% and said the country is "collapsing financially".

Trump had earlier acknowledged that the extremely unpopular war against Iran was at least partly to blame for the heavy defeat of his Republican Party in Tuesday's elections.

Iran: talks suspended

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state television on Sunday that peace talks are suspended while the political consequences of the Democratic Party's decisive victory are assessed. According to him, mediators have not travelled in recent days, a consequence of the shock caused by the election results. Araghchi said it remains to be seen how long it will take the US to digest the results and determine how to proceed.

Strait of Hormuz

Iran continues to block, at least in part, traffic through the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, which has restricted oil supplies from the Persian Gulf. Petrol prices in the US have risen as a result, which adds to the war's unpopularity.