US President Donald Trump said he has not yet decided whether to launch a major military strike against Iran, as the prolonged conflict continues to expand across the Middle East and intensify pressure on both sides to find a resolution.
Trump said large-scale military action had been put on hold for now as Tehran appeared increasingly willing to engage in negotiations with Washington.
“Not yet. We are talking to them now.
“I think they are becoming more serious day by day, perhaps for reasons that everyone already knows,” AFP reported Trump saying at the Oval Office.
Trump said Iran faced a choice between reaching an agreement or confronting a significantly larger military response, following nearly two weeks of US strikes that led to the collapse of a previously agreed ceasefire.
The conflict, which Trump had earlier predicted would end within four to five weeks, is now approaching its fifth month, creating political pressure ahead of the US midterm elections in November.
Trump said he had not established a specific trigger for approving further attacks but maintained that preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons remained Washington’s “red line”.
The US has said its military operations are aimed at preventing Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important shipping route for global oil supplies.
Iran has responded with attacks against several US military positions, with Washington reporting casualties among its personnel. Iranian forces also claimed to have targeted US-linked military assets in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards further claimed to have struck an Amazon data centre in Bahrain, although the technology company and Bahraini authorities have not commented on the allegation, and Washington has not confirmed any attack on the facility.
In Bahrain, emergency warning sirens sounded again, with the Interior Ministry urging residents to remain calm and move to designated shelters.
Trump also said China and Russia were not supplying weapons to Iran, despite reports that both countries had provided intelligence assistance to Tehran.
“President Xi Jinping said he would not get involved, and President Vladimir Putin said the same.
“I believe them. I do not think they want to disappoint me,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi in Kyrgyzstan as Beijing called for renewed negotiations to ease tensions in the Gulf region.
According to China’s state media, Wang urged both sides to resume talks as soon as possible and implement a memorandum of understanding aimed at reducing regional tensions.
“The door to negotiations that has already been opened should not be closed, as long as there remains hope for peace,” Wang said.
The conflict has also spread to Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi militants launched attacks on oil tankers in the Red Sea after declaring a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia.
In response, Saudi Arabia launched strikes on Houthi positions in the port city of Hodeidah, according to Houthi-affiliated media, with a security source confirming that militant sites had been targeted.
The escalation followed a reported attack on a Saudi vessel after the Houthis announced restrictions on maritime traffic, raising concerns over global oil supplies from the world’s largest crude exporter.
The developments come as Iran continues efforts to restrict shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, another critical energy route.
Houthi-run Al-Masirah television reported that Hodeidah was targeted by Saudi strikes, with residents reporting several explosions near the port area.
Saudi-led coalition spokesman Brigadier General Turki al-Maliki said the Houthis had targeted commercial vessels in the Red Sea before the coalition carried out what he described as a “decisive and effective” response. - July 25, 2026
