Trump says chances of renewed Iran strike 'very small,' leans toward deal

US President Donald Trump said the chances of resuming military strikes against Iran are very small, signaling a preference for a negotiated settlement over further armed conflict — provided Tehran agrees to abandon its nuclear weapons program and guarantee free passage through the Strait of Hormuz.

According to CNN, Trump made the remarks during a roughly 20-minute phone interview Sunday (local time), responding to a question about the possibility of renewed military action. "It depends on whether they sign a very powerful deal," he said, adding that "the likelihood of having to do that is very small."

CNN noted that Trump repeated the phrase "very small" five times during the interview when describing the chances of resuming strikes.

The "very powerful deal" Trump referenced appears to mean Iran giving up its nuclear weapons program and fully guaranteeing freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

More than eight months have passed since the outbreak of war between the United States and Iran, yet Iran has still not relinquished its nuclear program or control over the Strait of Hormuz. Whether the two sides can reach agreement on the core sticking points remains uncertain.

Still, Trump's repeated downplaying of the likelihood of renewed strikes is being read as a signal that he is leaning toward a diplomatic resolution rather than further armed conflict.

That does not mean he has put away the military pressure. Trump emphasized that US forces stand ready to resume attacks at any moment.

"We have three aircraft carriers. Another one just arrived," he said. "We are literally targeting 38 bridges that we can destroy within one hour."

Trump also said Iran's military capabilities have been severely degraded, claiming its air defense systems have collapsed. "The only thing they can do is make a few missiles — about 10 percent — and a few drones," he said, and went on to say that drone capacity was "about 15 percent, because most of the factories have been destroyed."

Even so, Trump struck a cautious note about actually striking Iran's major infrastructure. "I don't want to do that because it would take over 10 years to rebuild," he said, making clear he has no desire for large-scale destruction of the country's infrastructure.

He doubled down on his assessment that Iran "wants" negotiations "so badly," adding, "Probably we won't have to" resume strikes.

Trump's remarks — projecting overwhelming military force while keeping the probability of renewed strikes low — have drawn attention to whether negotiations between the two countries will advance in the months ahead.