Donald Trump said on Monday that he was not considering an attack on Iran after the US midterm elections. Speaking to reporters in Washington, he also said he believed Tehran wanted an agreement and that a deal could be reached.
The comments came as Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance voiced optimism about ending the war, now more than eight months old. Trump wrote on Truth Social that a peace agreement “could happen” and said oil prices were falling sharply. The Wall Street Journal reported that the United States had attacked Iran’s Qeshm island, though the liveblog did not provide further details of the reported strike.
Trump also raised the possibility of strikes on other Iranian targets, mentioning Mount Kolang, also known as Pickaxe Mountain, where an Iranian nuclear complex is suspected to be located. He said the United States was in no hurry to carry out further attacks and that talks were going well, while describing Iran as unreliable. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Trump had not yet decided whether to resume military operations and that Washington remained open to a diplomatic solution.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said no meeting with US representatives was currently planned. He confirmed that Iran’s leadership had received a message from Vance, saying it had been reviewed in senior-level discussions. Araghchi described an effort by the US to open dialogue as a positive step, while warning that an attempt to sow discord would be another American mistake.
The liveblog also reported a British authority’s alert about an attack on a vessel in the Strait of Hormuz and a separate report of another tanker being attacked in the Persian Gulf. Shipping incidents have continued in the strait and the wider Gulf region since the war began, according to the report.
In the West Bank, Hebron’s governor said Israeli forces had withdrawn from the area and that Palestinian security forces had taken full control. He said about 3,300 residents displaced during the operation could return home, although many homes had been largely destroyed. The Israeli operation followed an attack in which two Israeli soldiers were killed and three injured; the two suspected Palestinian attackers were also killed, according to the report.
Pakistan expressed cautious optimism about diplomatic efforts, with a military spokesperson pointing to repeated visits by the country’s chief negotiator to Tehran as a positive sign. Qatar has also been working to reduce tensions and recently put forward a new proposal to resolve the conflict.
Sources: FAZ.