Trump meets with national security team, says Iran war decision coming "soon"
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President Trump speaks to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
President Trump said after meeting with his national security advisers Thursday that he'll soon decide whether to resume all-out war in Iran now that the midterms are over.
Why it matters: The election was seen as an inflection point for Trump on whether to unleash a new wave of bombing to try to bring the war to an end.
- The president, at least for now, is considering three options: launch new strikes, continue to strangle Iran's regime economically or cut a deal that includes significant concessions to the Iranians.
- On Thursday, Trump and his top national security advisers met on Iran for the first time since the election, as part of his weekly intelligence briefing, two U.S. officials said.
What he's saying: "Now we will make a decision," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "Do we want to go further" with strikes to ensure Iran's nuclear program is dead and that "it will never happen again?" he added. "I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to. You'll know soon enough."
State of play: As Trump weighs his next move, there was a flurry of diplomatic activity on Thursday, including multiple phone calls between Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and regional mediators from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE, Oman and Egypt.
- The Qatari mediators continued discussions with the Iranians and the White House about a draft proposal calling for the two sides to take a series of steps over two days to build mutual confidence toward a broader deal.
- On the first day, the U.S. would lift its naval blockade and release some Iran's frozen funds. In return, Iran would issue an official invitation to the International Atomic Energy Agency to send inspectors to bombed nuclear sites, based on an agreement reached in Cairo a year ago, regional sources say.
- On the second day, the Strait of Hormuz would reopen, after which nuclear talks would resume, focusing on Iran's stockpile of highly enriched uranium.
The big picture: The secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Mohsen Rezaei — a key player in indirect negotiations with the U.S. — met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Thursday.
- The meeting took place several days after a call between Putin and Rezaei and proposals by the Russian president to mediate between the U.S. and Iran.
- Rezaei said he delivered a message to Putin from Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. He added that Putin stressed he is ready to try to help end the war.
- "We told Mr. Putin that we announced seven conditions to the Americans regarding diplomacy, and that until the Americans fulfill our seven conditions, neither the Strait of Hormuz will be opened nor will there be any negotiations," Rezaei said after the meeting.
What to watch: U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) is finalizing preparations to potentially resume major combat operations in Iran, though it hasn't received a new directive from Washington, a U.S. official said.
- One signal that the U.S. plans renewed strikes could be the arrival of a third U.S. Navy aircraft carrier strike group in the Middle East.
- A U.S. official said the USS Theodore Roosevelt and its strike group will spend a few days in Singapore starting Friday for a port call. It won't reach CENTCOM's area of responsibility before mid-November.
