WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Washington is not seeking a “large-scale conflict” with Iran, but warned that the United States would use military force if necessary, following a US strike on Iran’s Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz.
“I’m not looking to, you know, kill lots of people, but if we have to, we’ll have to,” Trump said in a telephone interview with Fox News on Tuesday.
Trump argued that Iran’s nuclear programme posed a serious threat while making clear he is not seeking a large-scale conflict.
The US President confirmed that US forces had struck an Iranian anti-aircraft facility, describing the operation as a “minor attack”. “They built an anti-aircraft facility… As soon as it was completed, we hit it last night very nicely,” he told the Fox & Friends programme.
BREAKING: “I’m not looking to, you know, kill lots of people, but if we have to, we’ll have to.” President Trump delivers a blunt warning on what comes next in the war in Iran, pointing to the U.S. operation in Venezuela as an example of how quickly American military force can bring a conflict to an end. Trump says Iran “could be the same thing,” arguing Tehran’s nuclear program posed a serious threat while making clear he is not seeking a large-scale conflict. | @foxandfriends Download the Fox News app for live updates on midterm election coverage: https://t.co/ISpW9Fc0R3
— Fox News (@FoxNews) November 3, 2026
President Trump’s remarks came after US forces struck Qeshm Island on Monday, following reports that Iran had fired at a US aircraft. US officials described the operation as a defensive strike and said it did not signal a return to full-scale military action against Iran.
Qatar Remains Hopeful of US-Iran Deal
Qatar on Tuesday expressed optimism that a diplomatic agreement between the US and Iran remains within reach, as both sides consider proposals put forward by mediators.
“Both parties remain committed to the negotiation process; as we mentioned, we are facilitating the real-time exchange of proposals between them,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari told reporters, while adding that both sides “are currently reviewing the ideas and proposals we have presented”.
“We remain hopeful that there is still a chance for a deal to take place,” he said, adding Doha was working “towards an interim deal”.
Key Highlights from the Weekly Media Briefing by Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al-Ansari @majedalansari , Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
#MOFAQatar https://t.co/sUVlDL08U3
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) November 3, 2026
Early Tuesday, US media outlets reported that Washington had carried out limited strikes on an Iranian island in the Strait of Hormuz.
On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said that “very intensive” negotiations were underway with the United States through mediators.
Trump Says US-Iran Talks ‘Going Fine’
On Saturday, Trump said negotiations with Iran to end the war were “going fine”, adding that the US was in no hurry to resume offensive operations.
Speaking to reporters at his Florida residence, the US President said Washington could deal with the remaining targets quickly. He said that the US has knocked out much of Iran’s military but still has to “take care of” one or two targets.
Trump on Iran:
They want to make a deal. We’ll find out about that.
Negotiations are going fine, but they’re not very reliable, I will tell you.
They make a deal and then they back out. They want to make a deal. We’ll see if they make a deal. https://t.co/1dqYGSddOB
— Clash Report (@clashreport) November 1, 2026
The US President said the United States is not in a hurry to take offensive action because it had already decimated Iran’s military and nuclear programme.
“We’ve knocked out their nuclear. We still have to take care of, I would say one or two sites, but we can do that in 10 minutes,” Trump told reporters.
“You probably could look at Pickaxe Mountain, and you have to take care of that. We can do that all very quickly,” he added, referring to a suspected underground nuclear complex. The Iranian government denied any nuclear work is carried out there.
