By Erin Banco, Humeyra Pamuk, Phil Stewart and Timour Azhari
WASHINGTON/RIYADH, Nov 14 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump has told senior advisers in recent days that he may hold off on attacking Iran if the US faces no new provocations from Tehran or the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Trump has alternated between threats of escalating the war with new strikes and winding down hostilities, and current and former officials say he does not appear to
have made up his mind about how to resolve the unpopular conflict, which he launched in February with Israel.
But in meetings with his national security advisers and after a series of intelligence briefings, Trump said he was considering holding off on strikes, said the people, who, like others interviewed for this story, spoke on condition of anonymity.
He has also indicated sympathy for allies in the region who have asked him not to return to a full-fledged war.
"I could end it immediately, but at the request of the nations that I am looking to protect, we are doing it a little bit longer way, a bit more civilly," Trump told sports broadcaster Stephen A. Smith on Thursday.
The war has hiked global fuel prices and proven unpopular with US voters, who handed control of Congress to the Democrats in last week's midterm elections. In a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken shortly before the November 3 elections, 55% of Americans said the war was not worth the cost, and Vice President JD Vance cited it as the reason Trump's Republicans lost Congress.
Trump's private comments build on public remarks playing down the likelihood of major warfare resuming.
"As Commander-in-Chief, President Trump is the architect and sole decision-maker who holds all the cards and will always ensure that America’s interests are protected," a White House official said in a statement. "The United States is in a very strong position with control of the Strait of Hormuz and the Iranian economy collapsing. Only President Trump knows what he will do, and when."
The CIA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not respond to requests for comment.
CALLS WITH SAUDI ARABIA AND TURKEY
In phone calls over the past two weeks, Trump asked for opinions from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who both urged him not to resume attacks on Iran, according to a senior US official and another person familiar with the matter. They said Trump made no commitment either way.
Trump told bin Salman on October 31 that he was planning to attack after the elections, but the crown prince pleaded for him to hold off, arguing that economic sanctions against Iran were working, according to two more people familiar with the discussion.
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
Trump has spoken with Erdogan three times since October 28, according to Turkey's presidency. An official readout from the November 7 call stressed that tensions between Iran and the US need to end.
US intelligence agencies have assessed that the US naval blockade and economic sanctions are hurting the Iranian economy and would continue to put pressure on Tehran, two US officials briefed on the intelligence said.
Building on its months-long blockade of Iranian sea traffic, the US military is also seeking to prevent weapons and other sanctioned material from entering the country by land or through the Caspian Sea, Reuters first reported last week.
MILITARY OPTIONS
At the same time, the US military is ready to escalate if needed, three more people familiar with US planning said.
A third aircraft carrier is moving into the Middle East in the coming days to replace one of the two currently operating in the region, but all three carriers could stay if needed, the people said.
Trump could opt to bomb Iran's underground nuclear facilities, one of the people familiar with Trump's calls with the Saudi and Turkish leaders said. But the US has already struck those facilities, and it is unclear whether further strikes would be successful.
US intelligence agencies have assessed that renewed strikes would not significantly shift Iran’s demands in negotiations, two US officials said.
Trump was also briefed on US weapon stockpiles, some of which have drawn down to worrying levels, the two people familiar with the intelligence briefings said. Reuters reported in August that the US had used “virtually all” of its long-range precision munitions, and another person briefed on the matter said they have not been replenished.
"The United States Military has enough munitions and ammo to serve all of the Commander-in-Chief’s strategic goals and beyond," the White House official said.
ISRAELI PRESSURE
Israeli officials have continued to lobby the administration to engage in another military campaign, according to a US official.
Trump signaled this week that the US has already achieved what it could from negotiations, but did not say whether he would resume strikes.
“We don’t need a deal with Iran,” Trump said in a social media post on Thursday. “We’ve got their money, Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we’ve got their Strait!”
(Additional reporting by Steve Holland in Washington and Alexander Cornwell in Jerusalem; editing by Andy Sullivan and Rod Nickel)
