President Donald Trump has told senior advisers he may forgo new US attacks on Iran if there are no further provocations by Tehran and Yemen’s Houthis, Reuters reported, citing three people familiar with the matter. The account suggests a possible pause in the threat of further strikes, not a confirmed change in US military policy.

There is a discrepancy over the condition. Quotidiano del Sud’s account of the Reuters report says both Tehran and the Houthis would have to avoid new provocations. A separate account relaying European Pravda’s report says Trump could hold back if Tehran or the Houthis did not provoke further. Neither report specifies what actions would count as a provocation.

Allies and advisers in the picture

Quotidiano del Sud reported that the option emerged in meetings with national security advisers and after intelligence briefings. It also said regional allies opposed a return to full-scale war, and that their requests weighed on the White House’s assessment. The reports do not say that Trump has made a final decision or that US operations have changed.

The possibility comes after weeks of threats of military escalation and talk of a possible end to hostilities, according to Quotidiano del Sud. In a separate account of the conflict’s wider effects, Albanian outlet Elbasanion said the blockage of the Strait of Hormuz and rising fuel prices had brought economic and political consequences in the United States.

Iran’s Navy and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said at least four tankers were on fire in the Strait of Hormuz after striking mines, Al Jazeera reported. That account has not been independently confirmed in the sources available.

Iran may feature in planned leaders’ meeting

Elbasanion reported that Trump sought to include Russian President Vladimir Putin in a planned meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with Iran among the issues for discussion. The meeting was expected alongside the APEC summit in Shenzhen on November 18–19, but its exact date had not been set, the outlet said.

According to Elbasanion, Trump hopes Putin and Xi will put greater pressure on Iran to help end the conflict. The outlet described Russia and China as close allies of Tehran that have continued to provide economic and military support. It also reported that Iranian officials had indicated Moscow was ready to mediate talks with Washington, and that Putin had expressed similar readiness. These accounts point to a possible diplomatic track, but do not establish that mediation or a deal is under way.