Trump may not attack Iran as long as it doesn't provoke US, report says

Résumé détaillé

Trump may not attack Iran as long as it doesn't provoke US, report says President Donald Trump has told senior advisers in recent days that he may hold off on attacking Iran if…

President Donald Trump has told senior advisers in recent days that he may hold off on attacking Iran if the US faces no new provocations from Tehran or the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, according to three people familiar with the matter.

Trump has alternated between threats of escalating the war with new strikes and winding down hostilities, and current and former officials say he does not appear to have made up his mind about how to resolve the unpopular conflict, which he launched in February with Israel.

But in meetings with his national security advisers and after a series of intelligence briefings, Trump said he was considering holding off on strikes, said the people, who, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on condition of anonymity.

He has also indicated sympathy for allies in the region who have asked him not to return to a full-fledged war.

"I could end it immediately, but at the request of the nations that I am looking to protect, we are doing it a little bit longer way, a bit more civilly," Trump told sports broadcaster Stephen A. Smith on Thursday.

Trump's private comments build on public remarks playing down the likelihood of major warfare resuming.

In phone calls over the past two weeks, Trump asked for opinions from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who both urged him not to resume attacks on Iran, according to a senior US official and another person familiar with the matter. They said Trump made no commitment either way.

Trump told bin Salman on 31 October that he was planning to attack after the elections, but the crown prince pleaded for him to hold off, arguing that economic sanctions against Iran were working, according to two more people familiar with the discussion.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

Début de l'article, extrait de Middle East Eye. Pour lire la suite, ouvrez l'article chez le média.