US President Donald Trump said on Monday night that there was a “very good chance” the United States would reach an agreement with Iran, while warning that Washington could strike Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain nuclear site “in literally one hour” if negotiations fail.

Source: ANI via NewKerala

Speaking to Sean Hannity on Fox News on the eve of the US midterm elections, Trump repeatedly played down the scale of the conflict, calling it a “very soft war”. “There’s no war raging,” he said. “It could happen if they don’t make a deal, but they want to make a deal very badly, and there is a very good chance we make a deal.”

Source: Fox News via Eastora

“What’s a war? A war is fighting,” Trump said. “When was the last time we fired anything? This isn’t a war. This is a very soft war.” He said he would prefer an agreement because it would “save a lot of lives”, but maintained that the United States was negotiating from what he called a position of “total strength” — “we can end it at any time.”

Source: Fox News via Eastora

Trump had publicly named Pickaxe Mountain as a target still to be “taken care of” on Saturday at Mar-a-Lago, as Awaaz Punjab reported: read the full Pickaxe Mountain story

On Pickaxe, Trump said the US had already struck Iran’s nuclear facilities during Operation Midnight Hammer. “Now, we might have to go after Pickaxe, but that’s not a big deal. We can do it in literally one hour,” he said. Iran denies any nuclear work at the Pickaxe Mountain site, a deeply buried complex near Natanz. Trump also warned that if the latest talks are not fruitful, the US will give Iran “the hammer” soon.

Source: ANI via NewKerala

Trump’s remarks came hours after the reported US strikes on Iran’s Qeshm Island on Monday, which Awaaz Punjab reported in detail: read the full Qeshm strikes story

Earlier on Monday, Trump had answered “No” when asked whether he was considering striking Iran again after the midterms, as Vice President JD Vance cited progress in the talks: read the full Monday story

No rush — but “something” will happen, Trump says

In a separate interview with Axios, Trump said he was in no rush to decide whether to resume direct military strikes against Iran. “One way or the other, we will do something, but there is no rush,” he said, adding that he believed Tehran wanted a deal more than ever. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said no decision on new strikes has been taken.

Source: Anadolu via MCI Group

The cost argument: “peanuts” against the Pentagon’s figure

Asked about the war’s cost, Trump dismissed a congressman’s estimate of $30 billion as “peanuts”, while the Pentagon has put the broader cost above $47 billion — yaani about ₹4.45 lakh crore. Trump argued that months had passed without sustained fighting, and that the US had already “bombed out all of their potential nuclear power”.

Source: Fox News via Eastora

The Netanyahu pressure Trump did not take up

Axios reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Washington during a Saturday phone call to launch immediate military strikes after the midterm elections, but that Trump decided instead to let diplomatic negotiations continue. Separately, commentator Tucker Carlson claimed on Sunday that Netanyahu was lobbying US officials to consider a nuclear strike on Pickaxe Mountain — that claim is an allegation by a commentator, not an established US or Israeli decision, and Iran has denied nuclear work at the site.

Source: Anadolu via MCI Group

Oil, gas prices and the midterm backdrop

Iran is a deciding issue for voters going to the polls on Tuesday, with Americans grappling with surging gas prices and the economic fallout of the eight-month conflict. Oil plunged on Monday on hopes of a settlement — Brent settled at $104.77, down $8.66 or 7.63% — then edged back up in early Asian trading on Tuesday after the Qeshm strike reports, with Brent rising 48 cents to $105.25 a barrel, yaani about ₹9,950 a barrel.

Source: Reuters via Gulf Business

What this means for Gulf workers

For the lakhs of Punjabi and Indian workers in the Gulf, the stakes in Trump’s “soft war” framing are concrete: a return to strikes would threaten shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, flights and oil-driven prices, while a deal that reopens Hormuz would ease the pressure that has built since February. Workers should rely on official embassy and employer guidance, not on forwards claiming a strike or a deal is already decided.

What happens next

Tuesday is midterm election day. On the same day, Tehran said the two sides are far from a deal and that the ball is in Washington’s court, while Trump says a deal has a “very good chance” and Pickaxe can be hit “in literally one hour”. The next move is Washington’s answer to Tehran’s conditions — end the blockade, release frozen assets, lift oil sanctions — and whether the post-election window brings a signed deal or a resumed campaign.