Iran: Donald Trump considers a resumption of war “very unlikely”, before receiving the Prime Minister of Qatar

Donald Trump estimated that a resumption of the war with Iran was “very unlikely” provided that progress was made in negotiations with Tehran, before receiving the Prime Minister of Qatar, mediator country, on Monday. Negotiations to avoid a major resumption of hostilities have recently intensified. But the American president, accustomed to contradictory statements regarding Iran, still leaves the prospect of a return to arms looming.

“It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement,” Donald Trump said Sunday during an interview with a CNN reporter. “It is very unlikely that this will prove necessary,” he added of a resumption of war. While there has been a lull since September, he nevertheless affirmed that he could order a resumption of fighting if the situation evolved, “but we really hit them hard”.

Diplomatic negotiations at a standstill

The Republican is due to receive the Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdelrahmane al-Thani, at the White House on Monday for his first meeting with a foreign leader since his side's defeat in the mid-term elections. He recognized that the conflict, by causing oil prices to soar, had largely contributed to the Democratic victory. Friday evening, the head of government of Qatar, mediating country in the war in the Middle East, assured that the United States remained “desire to take measures to find a solution” after the elections. He estimated that a possible agreement should focus primarily on Iranian nuclear power - an issue that Donald Trump has again highlighted in recent days - and the reopening of the strategic Strait of Hormuz, blocked by Tehran.

These comments contrast with those of the head of Iranian diplomacy, Abbas Araghchi, who affirmed on state television that diplomatic negotiations were at a standstill due to the “shock” caused by the electoral debacle of the Trump camp. And Abbas Araghchi added Monday morning on X: “The Americans have clearly had enough of Israel manipulating American administrations to drag them into endless wars. They have had enough. Just like our region.” On the ground in Iran, strikes, not made public by the American army, are continuing, according to the Iranian authorities.

A “probable” meeting with Russia and China, according to Donald Trump

The island of Qeshm, in the Strait of Hormuz, was targeted overnight, the provincial deputy governor said on state television on Monday. “The targets struck were located outside residential and commercial areas,” noted Ahmad Nafisi, referring to a situation “under control”. Since November, American and Iranian media have already reported several limited strikes, while Tehran claims almost daily that ships are damaged while trying to cross Hormuz, a strategic passage for global hydrocarbon trade.

On Friday, Donald Trump spoke by telephone with the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. The latter had stressed “the importance of continuing dialogue and using diplomatic channels to resolve disputes and prevent any further escalation”, according to his services. The American president also indicated that he planned to discuss the conflict during a likely meeting with his Chinese and Russian counterparts, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, in November at the Apec summit in China.