On November 3rd, local time, U.S. President Trump said in an interview with the Financial Times that the United States currently has no plans to launch military strikes against Iran immediately. He expressed his satisfaction with the current situation. However, he also emphasized that if necessary, the United States is prepared to take military action again.
When hinted by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that an attack might be launched this week, Trump responded, “I’m ready, and so are we all. If necessary, we are fully equipped, but it may not be necessary to launch an attack at all.”
Trump insisted that the United States “has not actually been at war with Iran.” He said, “We are not really in a state of war, because we attacked them with B-2 bombers and destroyed their nuclear facilities. But in reality, it’s been a long time since we really fought against them. It’s been about six months, maybe even longer.”
Trump said that he would not disclose any attack plans in advance, but he indicated that the United States and Iran are engaged in indirect negotiations regarding uranium enrichment stocks.
However, in the early hours of the 3rd local time, several explosions were heard on Geshm Island in southern Iran. U.S. officials revealed that the U.S. military carried out an attack on the island. This is the latest in a series of limited strikes carried out secretly against Iran over the past few weeks. U.S. officials stated that they intend to keep a low profile to avoid sending signals that large-scale military operations will resume.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bagheri said on the 3rd that there has been no new progress in the negotiations between Iran and the United States, and the mediation parties are still passing information between Iran and the United States. He emphasized that Iran is prepared for defense and will respond to any attacks with a "destructive counterattack".
