Trump Weighs Renewed Iran Strikes as Qatar Pushes Diplomacy

Washington is considering another military campaign against Iran as diplomatic negotiations over the Strait of Hormuz remain unresolved, with President Donald Trump consulting national security officials and Qatar intensifying efforts to prevent further escalation. The developments come amid recent US strikes, attacks on commercial shipping, and disagreements over Tehran's conditions for reopening the strategic waterway.

According to senior US officials cited by Fox News on November 6, Trump met with his national security team on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the possibility of resuming military operations. US Central Command has reportedly completed preparations for potential large-scale operations but has not received authorization for a new offensive.

Trump acknowledged that Washington was considering its next move during remarks at the Oval Office on Thursday.

"We will make a decision," Trump told reporters.

He also questioned whether additional attacks were necessary to eliminate Iran's nuclear capabilities permanently.

"Do we want to go further" to ensure the nuclear program is dead and that "it will never happen again?" Trump said.

He expressed reluctance to expand the destruction but did not rule out further military action.

"I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to. You'll know soon enough," Trump said.

Fox News also reported that November 9 would bring a new moon in the Middle East, creating conditions with little moonlight that officials described as potentially favorable for military operations.

Meanwhile, diplomatic discussions remain focused on Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days if Washington accepts seven conditions. These include lifting sanctions and ending the US naval blockade.

Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, criticized Washington's response to the proposal.

"America's response to Iran's rights and demands was not convincing, and they must fully and explicitly address Iran's seven conditions and act upon them," Rezaei wrote on X.

He linked the reopening of the waterway directly to Washington's acceptance of Tehran's demands.

"Only in this case will the Strait of Hormuz be reopened," Rezaei said.

Qatar has continued facilitating communication between the two governments. Majed al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that negotiations remained active.

He said both parties "remain committed to the negotiation process" and described Qatar's role as facilitating the "real-time exchange of proposals between" Washington and Tehran.

Military tensions had already intensified following US attacks on Qeshm Island near the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. Trump confirmed that American forces had targeted an Iranian anti-aircraft installation.

Trump characterized the operation as limited rather than the beginning of another war.

"It was a minor attack," Trump said, adding that it "wasn't war."

He explained that American forces had monitored the construction of the Iranian facility before striking it.

"They built an anti-aircraft facility. It took them about two months. We watched it get built. As soon as it was completed, we hit it last night," Trump told Fox News.

US officials described the strikes as defensive operations following Iranian fire directed at an American aircraft. Iranian media identified Qeshm Island as the location of the attack.

Shipping security has also deteriorated. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations reported that two unidentified projectiles struck a tanker near Oman's coastal village of Limah, approximately 14 nautical miles northeast of the area, on Tuesday. No casualties were reported.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps subsequently claimed that four oil tankers had been destroyed after hitting naval mines while attempting to navigate a prohibited shipping lane south of the Strait of Hormuz. The organization also said two additional vessels had been detained for violating shipping restrictions. These claims could not be independently verified as connected to the tanker incident reported by UKMTO.

The IRGC additionally claimed its air defense forces had downed a US-made MQ-9 drone over the strait at 4:30 a.m. local time, describing the aircraft as its 56th such target.

In a statement carried by IRNA, the organization described its military operations as having inflicted "heavy blows on the enemy."

Iran's Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, had ordered the country's military to respond immediately to any threat without geographical restrictions and update its target lists. Iranian officials have also raised the possibility of targeting European countries and undersea cables in the Gulf.

Political scientist John Mearsheimer questioned whether another limited bombing campaign could achieve Washington's objectives, particularly after the earlier 40-day US-Israeli air campaign.

"If the 40-day bombing campaign didn't work, how is the three-day bombing campaign going to work?" Mearsheimer asked in a video commentary.

He warned that Iranian retaliation could trigger additional American military action, potentially drawing both countries into a prolonged confrontation with consequences for the global economy.

Trump has continued to signal that further attacks remain possible while expressing a preference to avoid extensive casualties.

"I'm not looking to … kill lots of people," Trump said.

He nevertheless maintained that Washington could respond militarily if circumstances required it.

"If we have to, we'll have to," he added.

In an earlier interview with the Financial Times, Trump had expressed satisfaction with the existing confrontation, saying, "We seem to be getting everything we want," despite the continuing diplomatic deadlock.

Separately, Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi told Trump during a telephone conversation on Thursday that Iraqi territory should not be used to launch military operations against neighboring countries.

The Iraqi prime minister's office emphasized Baghdad's position on national sovereignty in a statement published on X.

"Mr. Prime Minister affirmed Iraq's position calling for respect for the sovereignty of states, non-use of its territories as a launchpad for aggression against neighboring countries," the statement said.

The diplomatic discussions and US military preparations continue as Washington weighs its next steps and Tehran maintains that reopening the Strait of Hormuz depends on acceptance of its seven conditions.