President Donald Trump has told senior advisers in recent days that he may hold off on attacking Iran if the United States faces no new provocations from Tehran or the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, according to three people familiar with the matter. Trump has alternated between threats of escalating the war with new strikes and winding down hostilities, and current and former officials say he does not appear to have made up his mind about how to resolve the unpopular conflict, which he launched in February with Israel.
In meetings with his national security advisers and after a series of intelligence briefings, Trump said he was considering holding off on strikes. He has also indicated sympathy for regional allies who have asked him not to return to full-fledged war. "I could end it immediately, but at the request of the nations that I am looking to protect, we are doing it a little bit longer way, a bit more civilly," Trump told sports broadcaster Stephen A. Smith on Thursday.S1
The war has hiked global fuel prices and proven unpopular with US voters, who handed control of Congress to the Democrats in last week's midterm elections. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken shortly before the November 3 elections, 55% of Americans said the war was not worth the cost, and Vice President JD Vance cited it as the reason Trump's Republicans lost Congress.S1S2
A White House official said in a statement that Trump is the architect and sole decision-maker, adding that the United States is in a very strong position with control of the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian economy collapsing. The CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not respond to requests for comment.S1S2
In phone calls over the past two weeks, Trump asked for opinions from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who both urged him not to resume attacks on Iran, according to a senior US official and another person familiar with the matter. Trump made no commitment either way. Trump reportedly told bin Salman on October 31 that he was planning to attack after the elections, but the crown prince pleaded for him to hold off, arguing that economic sanctions against Iran were working.S1
US intelligence agencies have assessed that the naval blockade and economic sanctions are hurting the Iranian economy and would keep pressuring Tehran, while the military is seeking to stop weapons and sanctioned material entering by land or through the Caspian Sea. The military is also ready to escalate if needed, with a third aircraft carrier moving into the Middle East to replace one of the two currently operating there, though all three could stay. US intelligence has assessed that renewed strikes would not significantly shift Iran's demands in negotiations, and Trump was briefed on US weapon stockpiles, some of which have drawn down to worrying levels.S2
