OMM Newsroom
US President Donald Trump said on Monday he would pause new military strikes on Iran for now, while maintaining the US naval blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump made the decision after appeals from Gulf states, AnewZ reported.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the United States was “fully prepared with the best equipment ever produced,” but that he did not think it would be necessary to use it.
He said he had made the decision “at the request of neighboring countries,” naming Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait among the states seeking a halt to the attacks.
Trump made the remarks after talks with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who traveled to Washington after visiting Tehran last week. Al Thani said he was “grateful for the positive discussions” on reaching an agreement and securing peace in the region.
Tehran denies agreement talks
Iran reacted cautiously to the meeting. Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, called on the United States on social media platform X to “stop spreading fake news about imaginary negotiations.” He said it was time for Washington to accept seven conditions Iran had repeatedly put forward.
Under Iran’s proposal, the United States would end its blockade of Iranian ports, lift some sanctions and stop the bombing. Tehran, in turn, would end its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Talks on Iran’s nuclear program and the remaining sanctions would then take place.
Washington has repeatedly rejected the plan, while Tehran considers it the most reasonable of the proposals under consideration.
Prolonged uncertainty expected in the region
Gulf officials have taken a cautious view of the prospects for peace. Anwar Gargash, a senior United Arab Emirates official, said a comprehensive political agreement between the United States and Iran appeared difficult to achieve.
“We must prepare for prolonged uncertainty, in which we cannot assume that either a decisive resolution or a stable regional order will be secured,” Gargash said.
Despite the announcement that new strikes would be paused, attacks are continuing. Iranian state media reported that the United States struck Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz overnight on Sunday, November 8. A provincial official said the attacks did not damage critical infrastructure or services. The United States has not commented on the incident.
A senior Iranian source said the United States had targeted radar systems used for air defense and ship navigation, as well as bases housing missile launchers and mine-laying equipment.
International maritime organizations say attacks on tankers in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz rose sharply in October, reaching their highest level since the war began. An Iranian state television reporter said 11 tankers had been “put out of operation” in the past 10 days.
Meanwhile, the Houthis, Iran’s allies in Yemen, have carried out missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.
The war began on February 28 with joint US and Israeli strikes on Iran. Pressure to end the war has grown in Washington following last week’s midterm elections. Senior Republican figures, including Vice President J.D. Vance, have linked the party’s losses in the elections to the conflict.
