WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has told senior advisers in recent days that he may hold off on attacking Iran if the US faces no new provocations from Tehran or Ansar Allah in Yemen, according to three people familiar with the matter. Trump has alternated between threats of escalating the war with new strikes and winding down hostilities, and current and former officials say he does not appear to have made up his mind about how to resolve the unpopular conflict, which he launched in February with Israel.
But in meetings with his national security advisers and after a series of intelligence briefings, Trump said he was considering holding off on strikes, said the people, who, like others interviewed for this story, spoke 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 war has hiked global fuel prices and proven unpopular with US voters, who handed control of Congress to the Democrats in last week's midterm elections. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken shortly before the November 3 elections, 55 per cent of Americans said the war was not worth the cost, and Vice-President JD Vance cited it as the reason Trump's Republicans lost Congress.
Trump's private comments build on public remarks playing down the likelihood of major warfare resuming. "As Commander-in-Chief, President Trump is the architect and sole decision-maker who holds all the cards and will always ensure that America’s interests are protected," a White House official said in a statement. "The United States is in a very strong position with control of the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian economy collapsing. Only President Trump knows what he will do, and when." The CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not respond to requests for comment. Iran's navy said an oil tanker caught fire on Saturday morning after hitting a naval mine in the eastern Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state media reported.
In phone calls over the past two weeks, Trump asked for opinions from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who both urged him not to resume attacks on Iran, according to a senior US official and another person familiar with the matter. They said 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 that economic sanctions against Iran were working, according to two more people familiar with the discussion. Trump has spoken with Erdogan three times since October 28, according to Turkiye's presidency. An official readout from the November 7 call stressed that tensions between Iran and the US need to end.
At the same time, the US military is ready to escalate if needed, three more people familiar with US planning said. A third aircraft carrier is moving into the Middle East in the coming days to replace one of the two currently operating in the region, but all three carriers could stay if needed, the people said. Trump could opt to bomb Iran's underground nuclear facilities, one of the people familiar with Trump's calls with the Saudi and Turkish leaders said. But the US has already struck those facilities, and it is unclear whether further strikes would be successful. — Reuters
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
