Iran-US war latest: Trump calls off attacks on Iran for almost a month amid ‘productive’ talks

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Donald Trump has said the US wil not attack Iran for almost a month as claimed “productive” discussions were taking place over ending the conflict.

In a statement issued on Truth Social on Thursday evening, the US president wrote: “We are having ​productive ⁠discussions with the ‌Islamic Republic of Iran. We will not be attacking Iran at ‌any time prior ​to the Midterm ‌Elections to ⁠be held in the ⁠United States on November 3rd.”

The announcement appeared to quash speculation that Mr Trump and his national security team were considering restarting large-scale US military operations in Iran in the coming weeks, including potential strikes ahead of the elections.

Negotiations had appeared at a standstill since Mr Trump late last month publicly rejected Iran's proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the US met certain conditions.

Meanwhile, three people were killed and more than 30 were injured in strikes on airports across Saudi Arabia , the country’s civil aviation authorities said on Wednesday, amid a flare up in clashes with the Yemeni Houthi rebels.

One person was killed and eight were injured in an attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh , while two were killed and 28 were injured in an attack at Abha airport, a statement read.

The USS Abraham Lincoln , an aircraft carrier that had been deployed for a record 265 days at sea and supported US operations in Iran, has docked in San Diego, California.

The carrier drew national attention following reports of stress among the crew and poor mental health, as well as supply shortages. Pentagon officials downplayed those reports.

President Donald Trump defended his comments about Iran destroying U.S. cities in a lengthy Truth Social post on Thursday afternoon.

The president initially sparked backlash when, at a Monday rally in Nebraska , he said: “They could take out a city. Let them take out Los Angeles; let them take out San Diego.” The White House later denounced media coverage of those remarks, clarifying that he was addressing the threat a nuclear-armed Iran could pose .

“The Fake and Artificial News is out there trying to say that I’m inviting the enemy to bomb San Diego and Los Angeles,” Trump wrote on Thursday. “In actuality, what I was talking about was that a temporary increase in the price of Gasoline is a small price to pay for Iran not having a Nuclear Weapon and, if you want to see a big price, can you imagine what it would be like if they bombed San Diego and/or Los Angeles?”

President Donald Trump swatted away a question from a female reporter at the White House when she asked him to explain his comment about Iran “taking out” Los Angeles and San Diego .

Addressing a rally crowd in Grand Island, Nebraska, Monday, the president had been discussing the Iran war driving up gas prices due to the blockading of the Strait of Hormuz , which he said was “a small price to pay for keeping the world safe, keeping our country safe.”