US President Donald Trump met with his national security team on Thursday to discuss whether to resume military operations against Iran, saying Washington would soon decide whether to launch further strikes or pursue other options to end the conflict.The meetings took place at the White House on Wednesday and Thursday, senior US officials cited by Fox News claimed.Thursday’s discussions were the first meeting between Trump and his top national security advisers on Iran since the November 3 midterm elections, according to two US officials cited by Axios.Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said the administration would soon decide whether to escalate military action.“Now we will make a decision,” Trump said. “Do we want to go further” with strikes to ensure Iran’s nuclear programme is dead and that “it will never happen again?”“I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to. You’ll know soon enough,” he added.Trump’s options currently include launching fresh strikes, continuing economic pressure on Iran or reaching an agreement involving significant concessions.
US military prepares for possible fresh strikes on Iran
The US Central Command (Centcom) is finalising preparations for a potential resumption of major combat operations in Iran, although it has not received a fresh directive from Washington, according to a US official.November 9 would bring a new moon in the Middle East, resulting in little to no moonlight, a condition officials described as favourable for military operations.The possible arrival of a third US Navy aircraft carrier strike group in the region could also signal preparations for renewed strikes, Axios reported.However, the USS Theodore Roosevelt and its strike group are scheduled to spend a few days in Singapore from Friday for a port call and are not expected to reach CENTCOM’s area of responsibility before mid-November, according to a US official.Meanwhile, Trump spoke with Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi by telephone on Thursday.Al-Zaidi told the US president that Iraqi territory must not be used as a launchpad for military strikes against neighbouring countries.“Mr. Prime Minister affirmed Iraq’s position calling for respect for the sovereignty of states, non-use of its territories as a launchpad for aggression against neighboring countries,” the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on X.
Iran steps up diplomatic contacts, rules out talks until conditions met
As Washington weighed its next move, Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi held telephone conversations with regional counterparts and mediators from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Egypt, Axios reported.Qatari mediators continued discussions with Tehran and the White House over a draft proposal that envisages a series of steps over two days to build confidence between the two sides ahead of a broader agreement.Under the proposal, the US would lift its naval blockade of Iran and release some of the country’s frozen funds on the first day. In return, Iran would formally invite the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to send inspectors to nuclear sites that were bombed, based on an agreement reached in Cairo a year ago, regional sources said.On the second day, the Strait of Hormuz would reopen, following which nuclear negotiations would resume, focusing on Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium.However, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council secretary Mohsen Rezaei reiterated Tehran’s position that negotiations would not resume until its seven conditions were met.Rezaei met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Thursday and delivered a message from Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.“We told Mr Putin that we announced seven conditions to the Americans regarding diplomacy, and that until the Americans fulfil our seven conditions, neither the Strait of Hormuz will be opened nor will there be any negotiations,” Rezaei said after the meeting.Rezaei also said Putin had condemned US and Israeli military strikes against Iran, including attacks on its nuclear facilities. The Russian president expressed Moscow’s readiness to make every possible effort to help end the war, he added.The two sides also discussed energy cooperation, including the construction of gas pipelines connecting Russia and Iran, Rezaei said.
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