If the talks hold, the war that has driven up fuel prices and slowed shipping through the world’s most important oil route may stay frozen. If they fail, President Donald Trump says the United States is ready to strike again, and he has named what could be hit first.
Trump told CNN on Sunday that it is “highly unlikely” he will need to order new attacks on Iran as long as negotiations make progress. He repeated the point five times in a 20 minute phone interview with CNN’s Jim Sciutto. The talks cover Iran’s nuclear program and the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman through which a large share of the world’s oil passes.
“It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement,” Trump said. “The answer is highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary.”
The condition matters. Trump did not rule out new strikes. He said American forces are in place if he gives the order. “We’re ready for it,” he said. “I’ve got three aircraft carriers here. They’re fully locked and loaded.”
He also described targets the United States has picked out inside Iran, including power plants and bridges. “We have 38 bridges in our site that we can knock down in literally one hour,” he said. “They’ll all be down.” He then said he would rather not do it. “I don’t want to do that because essentially, it’ll take 10 years to rebuild them,” he said. “I don’t like ripping down bridges.”
Eight months after the war began, the fighting sits in a stalemate, CNN reported, with little military action and little public diplomatic progress. Zark News reported on Saturday on the latest confirmed strike and the state of the talks. Qatar has been mediating between Washington and Tehran. On Saturday, Qatar’s International Media Office denied reports that the talks had failed, saying both sides “continue to work towards reaching an agreement” and that Qatari mediators remain in close contact with both.
A senior Iranian official told Reuters on Thursday that Iran has sent a nuclear proposal to Washington through Qatar and that the United States is reviewing it. The official said further discussion depends on Washington first meeting seven Iranian demands, including relief from sanctions, access to frozen Iranian money in foreign banks, and war reparations. Washington insists the nuclear program must be part of the first stage of talks.
Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, restated Tehran’s position in a post on X on Sunday. “American voters have made their choice. Time for the White House to make its own,” he wrote, referring to last week’s midterm elections. He said Iran’s proposal requires “end to war on all fronts,” and he warned that if the United States chooses war instead, Iran’s forces will “rain down hell.”
Trump also made claims about Iran’s condition that Zark News has not independently confirmed. He said Iran has 301 percent inflation, that its air defenses have been destroyed, and that it holds only 10 percent of its missile capacity and 15 percent of its drone capability. CNN reported the figures as the president’s statements. No US or independent assessment confirming them was published with the interview.
For families watching fuel prices and for shipping firms watching the strait, the practical meaning is narrow but real. The president has publicly tied his next move to the talks. What neither side has published is any text of an agreement, any date for a next round, or any sign that the seven Iranian demands and Washington’s nuclear condition are close to meeting.
Transparency note: The interview account rests on CNN as the single original source. CNN did not publish the exact wording of its question, and the White House issued no readout or confirmation that Zark News could find. Trump’s figures for Iranian inflation and weapons stocks are his claims and are reported as such.
