Trump says return to full-scale war with Iran ‘highly unlikely’ as peace talks pick up

President Donald Trump said Sunday that he will likely decline to resume full-scale strikes against Iran, arguing that actions taken against the Middle Eastern country so far have crippled it economically.If the United States decides to resume military strikes, officials have identified possible infrastructure targets, including 38 bridges “that we can knock down in literally one hour,” Trump said during a CNN interview. But the president said it was “highly unlikely” such a decision will be necessary, as diplomatic talks between the two countries pick up and the Trump administration blames the war as a key factor in Republicans’ sweeping losses in last week’s midterm elections.“It depends on whether or not they sign a very strong agreement,” Trump said. “The answer is highly unlikely it’s going to be necessary. They’re a failing nation. It just came out, you saw this year, 301% inflation. Highly unlikely it will be necessary. “So it’s highly unlikely I’ll have to. They’re withering away financially. We’ve hit them militarily. We could finish them off.”Trump’s take comes as peace talks between the U.S. and Iran have picked up in recent weeks. The president is set to meet Monday with the prime minister of Qatar, a key third-party mediator in the conflict, signaling that the White House is further renewing its attempts to resolve the war.In another effort aimed at ending the war by non-military means, Trump said Sunday that the U.S. is engaged in “Task Force Iron Gate,” which essentially seeks to choke off Iran’s military supply routes. The initiative targets advanced weapons, dual-use technology, sanctioned materials, and illegal revenue coming through across Iran’s borders and the Caspian Sea. In addition, a U.S. naval blockade has sought to block all Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz since April, which has proved economically devastating as it cuts off one of the regime’s major sources of funding. The Strait of Hormuz is a water passageway between Iran and Oman through which much of the world’s energy supply passes.The price of oil dropped Monday after Trump’s latest prediction that a full-scale war could be averted, with Brent crude dropping $3.49, or 3.6%, to $94.83 a barrel. Oil prices have surged during the conflict due to its impact on the Strait of Hormuz.RUBIO DEFENDS TRUMP’S IRAN DECISION: ‘ELECTED TO DO THE HARD THINGS’Though there has been a renewed focus on reaching a peace agreement, Secretary of State Marco ⁠Rubio suggested Sunday evening he did not believe a breakthrough was imminent.“The president would always prefer to solve this and every problem diplomatically,” Rubio told reporters in Florida. “Sometimes that’s not possible, unfortunately. But if there’s a chance to do it. We’ll explore it. Right now, it hasn’t been very productive because the Iranian demands are simply not just unacceptable, but in some cases outrageous and ridiculous and really not realistic.”