Trump tells FT no immediate plan to strike Iran

President Donald Trump has spent the past two days downplaying the chance of a new bombing campaign against Iran right after the midterm elections. On Monday, a reporter asked whether he was considering strikes once the vote was over. He answered "No," RFE/RL reported. Hours before polls closed on Tuesday, November 3, he told the Financial Times the US has no immediate plan to strike and called Washington's position with Tehran "brilliant." His tone contrasts with US military preparations and with alarm among Gulf allies, who expect fighting could start again as soon as this week.ft.com+1

Diplomacy first, for now

Trump spoke to Axios by phone on Monday. "One way or the other, we will do something, but there is no rush," he said. "We crippled them financially. They have no money, no gasoline and their people are getting very tired of it." He said Iran shows "less urgency" than expected, "but they want to make a deal more than they ever wanted." Axios reported that Qatari mediators have drafted a three-day sequence of confidence-building steps meant to restart direct US-Iran talks. Vice President JD Vance said he and Trump "feel pretty good" about a possible settlement and that no deadline has been set for resuming strikes.axios.com

Netanyahu urged Trump in a phone call on Saturday to prepare large-scale strikes immediately after the midterms, according to Axios reporting cited by Bernama-Anadolu. Trump chose to give negotiations more time. The New York Times also reported that Israel shared intelligence suggesting Iran is considering chemical weapons. Some US officials doubt it and see it as part of Netanyahu's push for renewed hostilities, according to Il Sole 24 Ore and The New Arab.en.ilsole24ore.com+2

Military plans take shape

Even as Trump played down a new campaign, the US struck Iran's Qeshm Island on Monday, November 2, RFE/RL reported. US officials described the strikes to ABC News as defensive. On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that US Central Command has a plan to begin strikes as early as Wednesday, citing US officials, according to Iran International. That window depends on three aircraft carriers being in the region and on moonless nights in early November, Middle East Eye noted.rferl.org+3

Gulf braces for blowback

Gulf governments expect a heavy US bombardment that could bring Iranian retaliation against their own infrastructure, The Wall Street Journal News Corp ↘ 10.66% reported. Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have run security drills, and schools in Riyadh are holding classes online this week. Anwar Gargash, an adviser to the UAE president, said his country is "braced for the worst." Talks through Qatar remain stuck on which side should make the first concession.wsj.com

At a rally in Iowa on Sunday, Trump captured both sides of his message. "The only reason why I'm not finished with Iran is I want to be nice," he said. "But at some point we're going to have to give them the hammer."