Trump says further Iran strikes unlikely if talks progress, CNN reports

US President Donald Trump said on Sunday, November 8, that renewed attacks on Iran were unlikely if negotiations advanced toward a strong agreement, Reuters reported, citing a telephone interview with CNN.

Trump linked the prospect of further military action to whether Tehran signed an agreement he considered strong. Reuters said CNN had not identified the precise question that prompted his response.

He also described potential targets for another attack, saying US forces had selected 38 bridges in Iran and could destroy them within an hour. The statement accompanied his conditional assessment that further strikes would probably not be needed.

Middle East Monitor and Middle East Eye reported that the negotiations covered Iran's nuclear programme and access through the Strait of Hormuz. Both outlets also reported Trump's assertion that three US aircraft carriers were ready for military action.

Qatar, which is mediating between Washington and Tehran, rejected reports on Saturday that efforts to secure a deal had failed, according to Reuters. It said its prime minister had affirmed that the two sides were continuing to seek an agreement.

A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday that Tehran had sent Washington a nuclear proposal through Qatar and that US officials were examining it. The official said further discussions required Washington to meet seven Iranian demands first.

Those demands included easing sanctions, releasing frozen assets and paying war reparations, Reuters reported. Washington wanted the opening discussions to cover nuclear matters, leaving the two sides with different stated conditions for moving the talks forward.

Separate accounts of maritime incidents emerged over the weekend. According to Reuters, the US military said its air force disabled a commercial ship in the Gulf of Oman on Saturday evening by firing at its stern as it tried to cross the blockade.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Navy said mines set two oil tankers ablaze as they tried to take a route it described as unauthorized through the Strait of Hormuz. Fars subsequently reported a blast and fire on another tanker. Reuters said it could not verify the reported strikes.

Accounts also differed over explosions on Qeshm Island. Reuters reported that Tasnim said two missiles had hit the island, while Iranian state television said officials had not confirmed missile impacts and suggested the blasts could have resulted from military activity.