Trump calls renewed war with Iran "highly unlikely" as he meets Qatar's prime minister

WASHINGTON (Nov. 9) — President Donald Trump said a return to full-scale fighting with Iran is "highly unlikely," but that his decision "depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement," AFP reported, citing an interview Trump gave CNN on Sunday.

"I would if necessary, but we hit them really hard," Trump said. In a separate interview with CBS' "60 Minutes" that aired Sunday, he said he was not looking to escalate the war. "I don't think there's any reason to," he said, according to Axios.

Trump is scheduled to meet Monday at the White House with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister, who has carried messages between Washington and Tehran. Vice President JD Vance is expected to meet with him separately. AFP said it will be Trump's first meeting with a foreign leader since last week's midterm elections, in which Republicans lost control of Congress.

Axios reported that the Qatari mediator wants Trump to allow more time for diplomacy. Regional mediators have been discussing a draft plan of confidence-building steps over two days, under which the U.S. would lift its naval blockade and release some frozen Iranian funds, Iran would invite international inspectors to its bombed nuclear sites, and the Strait of Hormuz would reopen before nuclear talks resume, according to regional sources cited by Axios.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that he did not see a breakthrough coming soon and called some of Iran's conditions "outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic," Reuters reported. Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson defended Tehran's proposal on Monday as the most reasonable offer on the table.

Fighting has not fully stopped. Iranian state media reported a U.S. strike on Qeshm Island overnight, and a provincial official told the semi-official Fars news agency it did not hit vital infrastructure or services, Reuters reported. The U.S. has not commented on those reports. Trump also said the U.S. had identified more targets, including 38 bridges, that it would strike if major operations resume, Al Jazeera reported.