United States President Donald Trump has said renewed large-scale military action against Iran is highly unlikely, provided ongoing negotiations make progress and Tehran agrees to what he described as a strong deal.

Mr Trump made the remarks during a CNN telephone interview on Sunday, ahead of a scheduled meeting with Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, at the White House on Monday.

The US president, however, warned that the possibility of further military action would depend on whether Iran accepted Washington’s terms.

“I would if necessary, but we hit them really hard. I hit them so hard. You don’t know how hard I hit them,” he said.

Mr Trump’s comments followed weeks of threats to resume military strikes against Iran, with reports suggesting that fresh hostilities could begin after last Tuesday’s US midterm elections.

Qatar leads diplomatic efforts

The planned meeting with Sheikh Mohammed, who also serves as Qatar’s Foreign Minister, comes amid renewed diplomatic efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire between Washington and Tehran.

The meeting will be Mr Trump’s first engagement with a foreign leader since the Republican Party suffered a major defeat in the US midterm elections, losing control of Congress.

Qatar and Pakistan have been involved in efforts to broker an agreement to end the conflict, which began with US-Israeli strikes against Iran in late February.

However, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi suggested on Sunday that negotiations had temporarily stalled following the American election results.

“For the past few days, there has been no more travel (by mediators), and the reason for this is the shock that the election results in the United States have caused to everyone,” Mr Araghchi said during an interview with Iranian state television.

He added that Tehran would assess the political developments in the United States before deciding how to proceed with negotiations.

Iran war blamed for Republican defeat

Mr Trump has acknowledged that the unpopular conflict with Iran contributed to the Republican Party’s poor performance in the midterm elections.

Mr Araghchi, reacting to the president’s comments, said Americans were increasingly frustrated with the conflict and Israel’s influence on US foreign policy.

In a post on X, the Iranian foreign minister said Americans were tired of being drawn into prolonged wars in the Middle East.

Trump maintains pressure on Tehran

Despite expressing reluctance to launch fresh attacks, Mr Trump maintained that economic and military pressure had weakened Iran and could force its leadership to accept Washington’s demands.

He claimed Iran was experiencing severe inflation and financial difficulties, citing a figure of 301 per cent inflation.

However, official Iranian figures put the country’s year-on-year inflation at nearly 90 per cent in September.

Meanwhile, Iranian state television reported that Qeshm Island, located in the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, came under attack overnight on Sunday, hours after the state news agency IRNA reported two explosions in the area.

Tensions persist around Strait of Hormuz

Although large-scale fighting has largely subsided, tensions remain high around the Strait of Hormuz, a critical international shipping route for global energy supplies.

Iran has continued efforts to blockade the waterway, while the US Navy maintains a counterblockade targeting Iranian ports.

The continuing confrontation has raised concerns over the security of commercial shipping and the potential disruption of global oil supplies.

While diplomatic efforts continue, the latest developments suggest that a lasting agreement between Washington and Tehran remains uncertain.