The UAE hopes for a diplomatic breakthrough, presidential diplomatic adviser Anwar Gargash said Sunday, as Iran's army warned of a longer conflict and President Donald Trump had not decided whether to resume military action.
At the IISS Manama Dialogue, Gargash said the UAE hoped for a diplomatic opening and was “braced for the worst.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a Fox News interview that Trump had not decided whether to resume military action.
Army spokesman Mohammad Akraminia said a future war could outlast the earlier conflict and that the U.S. president could not determine its timing or end, Press TV reported. Trump said at his Florida residence on Oct. 31 that one or two sites remained to be addressed, named Pickaxe Mountain and said an operation could be done “in 10 minutes.”
Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei directed the armed forces to answer threats with an “immediate, impactful, and geographically unrestricted response” in a statement posted to his official Telegram channel on Oct. 31.
Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, wrote on his official Telegram channel that meeting Iran’s seven conditions would open a path to diplomacy. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a Nov. 1 statement carried by Tasnim that it had designated MI6 a “hostile group” and the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force “terrorist organizations” under Iranian law.
Gulf News reported that Dubai’s international flight services were returning gradually, while some airlines still had suspensions or cancellations.
Anadolu reported preliminary results from Israel’s Oct. 27 election gave Netanyahu’s bloc 53 seats, Jewish opposition parties 48 and Palestinian parties 19 in the 120-seat Knesset. No bloc reached the 61 seats needed for a majority. Anadolu also reported Israeli Democrats leader Yair Golan’s warning that Netanyahu could use another attack on Iran to remain in power; that was Golan’s assessment.
The U.S. midterm elections are scheduled for Nov. 3.
