Trump says ‘hopefully’ military action against Iran will not be needed

PARIS: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he wants to avoid military action against Iran, even though Tehran has warned it could strike American bases and aircraft carriers if attacked.

Trump said the United States is in contact with Iran and there is still a chance to avoid a military operation. This came after his earlier warning that time was “running out” for Tehran, as the US has sent a large naval fleet to the region.

When reporters asked if he would hold talks with Iran, Trump replied: “I have had, and I am planning on it.”
He added: “We have a group headed out to a place called Iran, and hopefully we won’t have to use it,” while speaking at the premiere of a documentary about his wife, Melania.

As tensions rose between Washington, Brussels, and Tehran, UN chief Antonio Guterres urged nuclear talks to “avoid a crisis that could have devastating consequences in the region”.

Iranian military officials warned that any US attack would be met with a strong and immediate response. Brigadier General Mohammad Akraminia said US aircraft carriers have “serious vulnerabilities” and that American bases are “within the range of our medium-range missiles”. He warned that a US strike would not end quickly, saying it would not go the way Trump imagines.

Iran has blamed recent protests on the US and its allies, claiming their agents caused “riots” and a “terrorist operation”. Authorities say more than 3,000 people were killed, mostly security forces or bystanders.

Fears of a US strike are growing in the Gulf region. A Gulf official said such an attack would cause chaos, damage economies, and push oil and gas prices sharply higher.

Meanwhile, Qatar’s leader Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed ways to reduce tensions and restore stability.

Trump has recently focused on Iran’s nuclear programme, which Western countries believe aims to build an atomic bomb. On Wednesday, he again warned Tehran that “time is running out”, saying the US naval strike group in the Middle East is “ready, willing and able” to act.