New Iran strikes unlikely if talks advance, says US President Donald Trump

Progress in negotiations on Iran’s nuclear programme and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz would make further US strikes on Iran “highly unlikely”, US President Donald Trump said, according to CNN’s report on Sunday.

Trump made any further military action conditional on an agreement: “It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement,” he said. “The answer is highly unlikely it will be necessary.” He added: “I would if necessary, but we hit them really hard,”

Following last week’s US midterm elections, diplomacy returned to the fore. Qatar, the principal mediator between the US and Iran, said Iran was considering proposals relating to its nuclear programme.

That account contrasted with comments on Sunday from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who said mediators had neither made progress nor taken any action in the days since the US elections.

Separately, an attack by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen damaged a landmark in the financial district of Saudi Arabia’s capital. As the city repelled another barrage of ballistic and cruise missiles on Sunday, the offices of oil giant Saudi Aramco also sustained minor damage.