President Donald Trump. Photo: Daniel Torok / The White House — Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.
President Donald Trump has told senior advisers in recent days that he may hold off on attacking Iran if the United States faces no new provocations from Tehran or the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, according to three people familiar with the matter, Reuters reported on Saturday.
Trump has alternated between threats of escalating the war with new strikes and winding down hostilities, and officials say he does not appear to have made up his mind about how to resolve the conflict, which he launched in February with Israel. But in meetings with his national security advisers and after intelligence briefings, he said he was considering holding off on strikes, the people said, speaking on condition of anonymity. He has also indicated sympathy for allies in the region who have asked him not to return to a full-fledged war.
"I could end it immediately, but at the request of the nations that I am looking to protect, we are doing it a little bit longer way, a bit more civilly," Trump told sports broadcaster Stephen A. Smith on Thursday.
The White House did not confirm or deny the account. "As Commander-in-Chief, President Trump is the architect and sole decision-maker who holds all the cards," a White House official said. "Only President Trump knows what he will do, and when."
Allies urged restraint
In calls over the past two weeks, Trump asked Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for their opinions; both urged him not to resume attacks, according to a senior US official and another person familiar with the matter. Trump made no commitment either way.
Trump told bin Salman on October 31 that he was planning to attack after the elections, but the crown prince pleaded for him to hold off, arguing sanctions were working, according to two people familiar with the discussion.
Trump has spoken with Erdogan three times since October 28, according to Turkey's presidency; a November 7 readout stressed that tensions between Iran and the US need to end.
US intelligence agencies have assessed that the naval blockade and sanctions are hurting Iran's economy and will keep pressuring Tehran, two US officials briefed on the intelligence said.
Military options remain on the table
A third aircraft carrier is moving into the Middle East in the coming days to replace one of the two currently operating there, but all three could stay if needed, three people familiar with US planning said.
Trump could opt to bomb Iran's underground nuclear facilities, one person familiar with the calls said. But the US has already struck those facilities, and it is unclear whether further strikes would succeed. US intelligence has also assessed that renewed strikes would not significantly shift Iran's demands in negotiations, two US officials said.
Trump was also briefed on US weapon stockpiles, some drawn down to worrying levels. Reuters reported in August that the US had used "virtually all" of its long-range precision munitions, and they have not been replenished, a person briefed on the matter said. The White House insisted the military "has enough munitions and ammo to serve all of the Commander-in-Chief's strategic goals and beyond."
Israeli officials have continued to lobby the administration to engage in another military campaign, according to a US official.
A war that cost Republicans Congress
The war has hiked global fuel prices and proven unpopular with voters, who handed Congress to the Democrats in last week's midterm elections. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll before the November 3 elections, 55 percent of Americans said the war was not worth the cost, and Vice President JD Vance cited it as the reason Republicans lost.
Trump's private comments build on public remarks playing down the likelihood of major warfare resuming. Earlier this week he said it was highly unlikely he would need to order new major strikes, declaring the war "militarily is effectively over." Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said further military action is unnecessary because economic pressure is weakening Tehran.
But by Thursday, Trump was again raising questions about whether he needed to rush to find an endgame. He declared that the US no longer needs a deal with Tehran and directed Vance — his chief negotiator in earlier peace talks with Iran — to shift his attention to the administration's domestic anti-fraud campaign.
"We don't need a deal with Iran," Trump said in a social media post on Thursday. "We've got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we've got their Strait!"
The latest flashpoint
On Friday, Iran claimed it had destroyed an early-warning radar system at a US military installation in Bahrain. The US Central Command rejected the claim, saying American forces had intercepted two Iranian drones launched towards Bahrain, with no injuries or damage. Neither side's account could be independently confirmed.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains about 65 percent below pre-war levels, and the United Nations says 25 seafarers have been killed in 134 confirmed maritime incidents since the war began in February.
Sources: Reuters; Associated Press; Gulf News.