Trump says renewed war 'highly unlikely,' but threatens Iranian infrastructure

U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that the United States was "highly unlikely" to resume its war with Iran, citing Tehran's apparent willingness to reach an agreement, but warned that Washington had identified dozens of Iranian infrastructure targets it could destroy if hostilities resumed. In an interview with CNN, Trump said the prospects of renewed fighting depended on progress toward an agreement, adding that Iran "want to make a deal so badly."

Despite his optimism, Trump said the United States had prepared a new list of potential targets across Iran, including power plants and bridges, as part of contingency planning for another military campaign. "We could finish them off," Trump said. "We have 38 bridges in our sight that we can knock down in literally one hour," he said. "They’ll all be down." Trump insisted, however, that he would prefer to avoid destroying civilian infrastructure because of the enormous cost and time required to rebuild it.

"I don’t want to do that because essentially, it’ll take 10 years to rebuild them," he said. "I don’t like ripping down bridges. And the hardest thing to build is a bridge. It takes years, and I’m a good builder." Trump also asserted that Iran's ability to manufacture missiles and drones had been severely degraded during the war, claims that Tehran has denied. "The only thing they can do is about 10% level — make some missiles and make some drones.

Drones at about 15% because much of their factories are gone," Trump said. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi responded Sunday with a warning against renewed American military action, invoking the Republican Party's defeat in last week's U.S. midterm elections. "American voters have made their choice. Time for the White House to make its own," Araghchi said. "Our 2-day proposal stands: meet the requirements, including end to war on all fronts, and you will see results.

Or choose war, and see our alert and battle-hardened Warriors rain down hell." Two Middle Eastern officials told Reuters over the weekend that Iran was examining proposals submitted by Qatar, which has emerged as the principal mediator between Washington and Tehran. The proposals are intended to bridge differences over Iran's nuclear program, which remains the most difficult issue in negotiations to end the war. One of the officials cautioned that Iran was not yet prepared to enter negotiations with the Trump administration over its nuclear activities unless Washington first accepted several fundamental conditions Tehran wants included in any ceasefire agreement.

Trump has insisted that the nuclear dispute must be resolved as part of any broader agreement to end the fighting. That demand has complicated diplomatic efforts, with Iran seeking guarantees on the terms of a ceasefire before committing to negotiations on its nuclear program. A source familiar with the negotiations said Trump would prefer an agreement that would allow him to declare victory in the campaign. In addition to Qatar, Pakistan and Russia are reportedly involved in efforts to broker an agreement.

The diplomatic push comes amid growing time pressure, with some estimates suggesting Trump has roughly two months left to act until a new Democratic-led Congress is sworn in. Despite the impasse, recent reports have suggested that the two sides may be moving closer to a breakthrough. Bloomberg reported last week that the United States and Iran were approaching a possible diplomatic breakthrough, citing a diplomat familiar with the talks who said Tehran had shown a willingness to discuss nuclear issues it had previously refused to address.

According to the diplomat, Iran was reviewing proposals concerning its nuclear activities that had been presented by Qatar. Any Iranian concession on those issues could produce significant progress in negotiations that have been largely stalled since the collapse of the memorandum of understanding reached in June. The potential shift in Tehran's position has raised hopes that diplomatic efforts could succeed in resolving differences that have persisted throughout the eight-month conflict.

Despite Trump's suggestion that another round of fighting is unlikely, American military planners continue to prepare for the possibility that diplomacy will fail. Two officials familiar with the matter told Reuters Sunday that Trump received a briefing a week and a half earlier from Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, on options for resuming military operations against Iran. According to a U.S. intelligence official and two other senior American officials cited by Reuters, intelligence assessments conducted in recent months have concluded that renewed strikes against Iran would be unlikely to substantially alter Tehran's negotiating position.

The assessments also indicated that additional military action would not be expected to bring about the collapse of Iran's government. The prospect of renewed fighting has also exposed deep divisions within the Trump administration, according to a senior Israeli official familiar with the deliberations. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Cooper favor resuming military operations to eliminate the Iranian threat, while Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has taken a more cautious position.

Vice President JD Vance and advisers Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner strongly oppose renewed fighting and favor continued diplomatic negotiations, the official said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has reportedly avoided taking a position while presenting Trump with the available options, apparently to avoid clashing with Vance. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, meanwhile, favors tightening economic pressure on Iran rather than resuming military operations.

"There is no way to know what the president will ultimately decide," the Israeli official said. The disagreement has also spilled into the administration's assessment of last week's midterm elections. Vance has blamed the Republican defeat on the prolonged war with Iran, but Trump's polling advisers reportedly reached a different conclusion. According to internal surveys, Republican voters who switched sides did not cite Israel or the Iran war as reasons for abandoning the party.

People close to Trump also disputed Vance's emphasis on the rising cost of living, pointing to polling that reportedly found just 3% of respondents cited the issue. The dispute may have implications for the Republican Party's 2028 presidential race. One source familiar with internal party developments said Vance had "shot himself in the foot," seriously damaging his prospects of winning the nomination, while another suggested that Rubio's chances had improved.

Israel prepares for possible return to war Israel, which has been closely coordinating with Washington over the Iranian threat, is preparing for a range of scenarios, including the possibility that hostilities will resume. The IDF has already begun preparations for a potential return to fighting against the Islamic Republic. According to sources familiar with the discussions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been pressing Trump to authorize renewed strikes, apparently hoping that a return to fighting could help break the political deadlock in Israel.

Earlier, however, Israel had sought to delay an American strike over concerns that it would disrupt the Israeli election. Officials at Israel's underground military command center reportedly debated how to persuade Trump to postpone the operation without risking the loss of an opportunity that might not arise again. Since that postponement, Trump has reportedly set several additional dates for potential strikes against Iran, only to delay them each time.

Israeli officials have warned against attempting to predict Trump's intentions, particularly given his willingness to make unexpected decisions despite the advice of senior officials. One senior Israeli official said Trump could disregard intelligence assessments and order additional strikes to demonstrate resolve following the Republican Party's losses in the U.S. midterm elections. "Trump could ignore them and attack just to show that he is strong and that he doesn't care about the election results," the official said.

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said over the weekend that Israel would support whatever decision Washington makes regarding Iran. Speaking in English to the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya network, Danon rejected suggestions that Israel or the United States was considering the use of nuclear weapons. "Israel will support the U.S. decision regarding Iran," Danon said. "No one in Israel or the United States is discussing the possibility of a nuclear strike."

Danon also accused Iran of continuing its pursuit of nuclear weapons despite the military campaign against it. "Iran continues its efforts to obtain nuclear weapons and has not stopped," he said. "Israel and the United States have the technology to know what is happening in Iran."