Trump Says Iran Strike Unlikely If Nuclear, Hormuz Deal Is Signed
(MENAFN) US President Donald Trump said a return to direct military conflict with Iran is “highly unlikely” provided talks yield an agreement covering Tehran’s nuclear program and shipping access through the Strait of Hormuz, in remarks to a US television network.
Conditioning any restraint on a deal, he said: “It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement ... The answer is highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary,” He added that he would order strikes if he judged them “necessary.”
Trump stressed that US forces had already done heavy damage to Iran during earlier phases of the war and could resume operations to “finish them off.”
Pointing to American force levels in the region, he said: “We’re ready for it. I’ve got three aircraft carriers here. The other one just arrived. We have three. They’re fully locked and loaded,” he said.
On Iran’s capacity to defend itself, Trump said Tehran retains about 10% of its missile arsenal and 15% of its drone capabilities, and he described any renewed US attack as “unstoppable.”
Discussing escalation options, he said US forces have identified 38 Iranian bridges that could be destroyed “in literally one hour.” He said he is reluctant to hit civilian transport infrastructure, however, because rebuilding it would take a decade.
Trump has previously suggested the regional war would end after the US midterm elections.
Trump Presses Netanyahu on Gaza Plan
Trump pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move forward on his Gaza peace plan, US media reported Sunday.
The two leaders also discussed the Iran war in a Thursday phone call that Netanyahu initiated, a US news website reported. A source familiar with the exchange described it as “constructive.”
The Gaza plan, unveiled in September 2025, is a framework to end the war through a ceasefire, the release of hostages and prisoners, Hamas disarmament, a phased Israeli pullback, and an internationally supervised handover to new Palestinian governance.
Since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, Israeli fire has killed at least 1,610 Palestinians and wounded 5,819 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The truce followed two years of war that began in October 2023. The ministry says it killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, injured over 175,000, and devastated 90% of civilian infrastructure.
Conditioning any restraint on a deal, he said: “It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement ... The answer is highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary,” He added that he would order strikes if he judged them “necessary.”
Trump stressed that US forces had already done heavy damage to Iran during earlier phases of the war and could resume operations to “finish them off.”
Pointing to American force levels in the region, he said: “We’re ready for it. I’ve got three aircraft carriers here. The other one just arrived. We have three. They’re fully locked and loaded,” he said.
On Iran’s capacity to defend itself, Trump said Tehran retains about 10% of its missile arsenal and 15% of its drone capabilities, and he described any renewed US attack as “unstoppable.”
Discussing escalation options, he said US forces have identified 38 Iranian bridges that could be destroyed “in literally one hour.” He said he is reluctant to hit civilian transport infrastructure, however, because rebuilding it would take a decade.
Trump has previously suggested the regional war would end after the US midterm elections.
Trump Presses Netanyahu on Gaza Plan
Trump pressed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to move forward on his Gaza peace plan, US media reported Sunday.
The two leaders also discussed the Iran war in a Thursday phone call that Netanyahu initiated, a US news website reported. A source familiar with the exchange described it as “constructive.”
The Gaza plan, unveiled in September 2025, is a framework to end the war through a ceasefire, the release of hostages and prisoners, Hamas disarmament, a phased Israeli pullback, and an internationally supervised handover to new Palestinian governance.
Since the ceasefire took effect on Oct. 10, 2025, Israeli fire has killed at least 1,610 Palestinians and wounded 5,819 others, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The truce followed two years of war that began in October 2023. The ministry says it killed more than 74,000 Palestinians, injured over 175,000, and devastated 90% of civilian infrastructure.
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