Donald Trump says no decision yet on major strikes against Iran as talks continue

The United States says it is carrying out the strikes to stop Iran closing the crucial Strait of Hormuz. Pics/PTI

US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he had not decided on whether to launch major strikes on Iran yet, as Tehran was now getting "serious" in talks with Washington. His comments came after reports that an increasingly frustrated Trump was meeting senior advisors to discuss launching a large-scale military operation against Iran. "No I haven't," Trump told journalists in the Oval Office when asked if had made a decision.

"Look, we're talking to them right now. I think they're getting more and more serious as the days go by, for maybe the obvious reason." Trump said Iran had a choice between making a deal or facing a "much higher level" of strikes, after nearly two weeks of US attacks that have left a ceasefire in tatters.

US President Donald Trump

The United States says it is carrying out the strikes to stop Iran closing the crucial Strait of Hormuz. Iran has responded with strikes on US bases that have killed four service members.

Iran's army said on Friday it carried out drone strikes against several American military facilities and bases in Bahrain and Jordan in retaliation for the latest US attacks against them. The war that Trump once predicted would last four or five weeks is now nearing its fifth month, and is weighing on the Republican's approval ratings ahead of crucial midterm elections in November.

Yemen's Houthis fire missiles at Saudi Arabia

Yemen's Houthi rebels say they have fired missiles and drones on Saudi Arabia in response to Saudi airstrikes on the strategic Red Sea city of Hodeida. Yahya Saree, the military spokesman for the Iranian-backed rebels, said in a pre-recorded statement that they attacked facilities of Aramco, the world's largest oil company, in the Red Sea cities of Yanbu and Jizan. The Houthi attacks came in response to what the rebels said were Saudi airstrikes early on Saturday on Hodeida and Kamaran island, off Yemen's western coast, which are controlled by the Houthis.

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