Trump Says U.S. Could Strike Iran as Early as Sunday, Pairing Threat With Offer of a Deal

President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States could launch new strikes against Iran as early as Sunday, while also saying a diplomatic agreement with Tehran remains possible. Trump spoke to reporters in Florida after casting his ballot, and he declined to confirm whether a decision on military action had been made.

“Maybe tomorrow,” Trump said when asked about another attack, according to Brussels Morning. The remark followed a campaign rally Friday in Fort Myers, Florida, where he told supporters: “We may do another little Epic Fury, or they’ll agree.” Epic Fury is the name of the earlier U.S. military campaign against Iran.

The Strait of Hormuz dispute

At the center of the standoff is the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway that carries much of the world’s seaborne oil. Reports in recent days suggested Tehran had proposed reopening the strait in exchange for Washington lifting its naval blockade of Iranian ports. Iran has disputed accounts of such an offer, and the IRGC-linked Tasnim agency called the reports false, according to Particle.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it now exercises de facto control over the strait and reported that two supertankers struck mines on an unauthorized southern route, a claim carried by state media that has not been independently verified. Brent crude traded near $117 a barrel as markets weighed the risk of escalation, according to Particle. The warning also followed Washington’s move this week to move diplomats and families from Middle East posts as intelligence warned of Iranian plots.

Diplomacy still open, but stalled

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned against further military escalation in remarks reported on October 21, saying Iran would give diplomacy another chance if Washington showed a genuine willingness to reach a fair settlement. Negotiations involving Qatar, Pakistan and Washington remain deadlocked over the order of concessions, according to Particle, with each side reluctant to move first.

For now, Washington has not publicly confirmed a timetable for further military operations, and no agreement has been announced. Both options, a strike and a deal, remain on the table in the president’s own telling.

Reporting based on coverage by Brussels Morning and Particle.