Trump says US has no immediate plans for fresh strikes on Iran

US President Donald Trump has said Washington has no immediate plans to launch fresh strikes against Iran, while maintaining that American forces remain ready to act if necessary.

In an interview with the Financial Times on Tuesday, hours before polls closed in the US midterm elections, Trump described the situation with Iran as “brilliant”, saying Washington was getting what it wanted from its current approach towards Tehran.

“We seem to be getting everything we want,” he said.

Asked about indications from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that an attack could take place later this week, Trump said US forces were prepared for military action but suggested there might be no need for it.

“I’m ready, we’re ready. We’re locked and loaded if we need to go, but there may be no reason for it,” he said.

Trump also played down the prospect of describing the confrontation with Iran as a conventional war, citing previous US strikes on the country’s nuclear infrastructure by B-2 bombers.

“We’re not really in a war, because we hit them with the B-2 bombers and wiped out their nuclear potential incapacity,” he said.

Referring to Operation Epic Fury and subsequent military actions, Trump said the situation was unlike major conflicts such as the two World Wars or the ongoing war in Ukraine.

However, he acknowledged that Washington remained concerned about Iran’s stockpile of around 1,000 pounds of enriched uranium, describing the material as “nuclear dust”.

Trump said indirect negotiations with Tehran over the uranium stockpile were continuing, adding that he was not satisfied with the prospect of the material remaining buried beneath rubble from previous strikes.

“Even though it’s under hundreds of tons of rock, I would say that I’m not happy that it will be there,” he told the newspaper.

He said the issue remained among the subjects being discussed in ongoing contacts with Iran.