US President Donald Trump renewed his threat to strike Iran on Sunday, while Iranian officials warned that another round of fighting could last longer than the previous conflict.
“And the only reason why I’m not finished with Iran is I want to be nice,” he told supporters during a rally in Iowa, ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.
“I want to try and save all those lives if I can … But at some point we’re going to have to give them the hammer,” he added.
His remarks came amid renewed diplomatic efforts to avert further fighting in the war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28.
Earlier, Trump told reporters at his Florida residence on Saturday that Washington still needed to strike one or two Iranian targets, including Pickaxe Mountain, a suspected underground nuclear complex.
“We still have to take care of, I would say one or two sites, but we can do that in 10 minutes,” he said.
Iran has denied conducting nuclear work at the site.
Trump also confirmed that he had discussed Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during a telephone call on Saturday, without providing further details.
Netanyahu wanted strikes immediately after Tuesday’s US midterm elections, while Trump preferred to give negotiations more time, Axios reported on Sunday.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, said Trump had not decided whether to launch further strikes and would prefer a diplomatic solution.
“There are multiple talks. Talks have actually never stopped,” Rubio told reporters on Saturday, adding that direct and indirect contacts with Iran were continuing.
Iran Warns Against Renewed Fighting
“A potential future war could last longer than previous conflict, and the American president would not be in a position to dictate the timing or the conditions of its conclusion,” Iranian army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia said, according to Iranian state television.
Revolutionary Guards spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi echoed the warning, saying there would be “no geographical limitations” to the battlefield in a confrontation with Washington.
Despite those warnings, Iranian negotiators held a third consecutive day of discussions with Qatari mediators in Doha on Sunday, an official briefed on the talks told Reuters.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said discussions were continuing over a proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within two days of a potential agreement, but no final conclusion had been reached.
Tehran remained prepared for “both defence and diplomacy”, he added.
Iran’s security chief, Mohsen Rezaei, said he had reviewed a letter from US Vice President JD Vance but had yet to respond.
“The tone has completely changed,” he said of Washington’s approach, describing it as a “very good sign”.