In an interview with CNN on Sunday, Trump said he could order further strikes if needed, but stressed the extent of previous attacks. “I would if necessary, but we hit them really hard,” he said. “I hit them so hard. You don't know how hard I hit them.”

Ships anchored off Oman’s coast near the Strait of Hormuz
An aerial view shows ships anchored off Oman's coast near the Strait of Hormuz © - / AFP

His remarks came after weeks of threats to resume strikes and US media reports suggesting hostilities could restart following last Tuesday’s midterm elections.

Qatar meeting follows Republican midterm loss

Trump is due to meet Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House on Monday. The meeting will be his first with a foreign leader since the midterm result in which Republicans lost control of Congress.

Qatar and Pakistan are among regional powers that have spent months trying to secure a definitive end to the conflict. The war began with US-Israeli strikes in late February, and Trump has acknowledged that its unpopularity was at least partly behind his party’s election defeat.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Sunday that mediation had paused as parties assessed the political consequences of the US vote. “For the past few days, there has been no more travel (by mediators), and the reason for this is the shock that the election results in the United States have caused to everyone,” he told Iranian state television.

Araghchi said mediators would need to determine how the election outcome affected the next steps. On Monday, he wrote on X that Trump “clearly recognizes that the vast majority of Americans are disgusted with Israel,” adding that Americans were tired of being drawn into “Forever Wars.”

Economic pressure and Hormuz tensions remain

Trump said economic pressure would push Iran towards accepting US terms, claiming the country faced 301 percent inflation this year. Iran’s official figures put year-on-year inflation at nearly 90 percent in September.

Although outright fighting has largely subsided, tensions remain acute around the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial route for global energy supplies. Iran is continuing efforts to blockade the waterway, while the US Navy maintains a counterblockade of Iranian ports.

Iranian state television reported that Qeshm island in the Strait of Hormuz was attacked overnight on Sunday, hours after the official IRNA news agency said two explosions had been heard there.

Source: France 24