Donald Trump's administration, the President of the United States, attempted to alleviate concerns about the possibility of a resumption of military attacks on Iran in an interview with CNN. Trump stated in the interview that this depends on signing a strong agreement and that the likelihood of needing military attacks is "very low."
U.S. Military Readiness
Trump also emphasized that U.S. military forces are ready to conduct a new round of attacks if necessary and can "destroy Iran." He said, "I have three aircraft carriers here, and they are fully prepared." He added that the U.S. military has 38 bridges in mind that it could destroy in an hour.
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Iran's Role in Negotiations
However, Trump repeatedly emphasized that a new escalation of hostilities is "very unlikely" and described Iran as a "declining nation" that, after eight months of conflict, is experiencing "financial decay." He said, "I hit them very hard. You have no idea how hard I hit them. They desperately want to make a deal."
In late February, Trump ordered an attack on Iran after Israel, one of the United States' allies, carried out what it called a "preemptive strike" against its main regional rival. Since then, the President of the United States has repeatedly declared his victory and pointed out that Iran is desperately trying to reach an agreement.
Iran has repeatedly rejected Trump's reports and continues to carry out attacks against U.S. allies in the region despite his claims of economic and military decline. Houthi rebels in Yemen, allied with Tehran, are currently targeting significant sites in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, and other parts of the country.
A tangible diplomatic achievement was reported since the war began in June when Iran and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding in Islamabad. However, negotiations reached a deadlock, and the memorandum expired in August, with both sides still at a military and diplomatic impasse.
This conflict has been widely unpopular among the American public and was heavily discussed during the U.S. midterm election campaign, which resulted in the loss of the Republican majority in Congress for Trump.
Iran's Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, announced on Sunday that peace mediators have "not traveled" since Tuesday when elections were held in the United States. Araghchi described the election results as a "shock" and added, "We now have to see how long it takes for them to digest these results to determine how to proceed."
Qatar, which is one of the mediators in this conflict, denied rumors of the United States and Iran's failure to reach a peace agreement. On Saturday, the Qatari Prime Minister announced that both sides are still working towards an agreement.
Separately, Reuters reported, citing a senior Iranian official, that Tehran has made a proposal regarding its nuclear program to Washington through Qatar. This official also noted that further negotiations depend on meeting Tehran's demands, including the lifting of sanctions, the release of Iranian funds, and war reparations.
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