Trump says five Gulf states asked him to hold off on Iran strikes and he is 'not sure I agree', as Guards say a gas carrier hit a mine in Hormuz

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE and Bahrain have asked him to hold off on further heavy strikes on Iran, and that he is “not sure I agree with it”. On Friday, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said a gas carrier hit a naval mine and exploded in the Strait of Hormuz, a sign that ship attacks go on while Washington waits.

What Trump said

In an interview at the White House, Trump said he could end the war immediately but is keeping pressure at its present level because Gulf governments want a pause. “Saudi Arabia has asked me to please just let it be the way it is now for a while,” he said, adding that the Gulf states “would much prefer the waiting period”. Then: “I’m not sure I agree with it.”

Asked whether he would have ordered heavier strikes without those requests, he said “Yes, I would.” He claimed the US could knock out Iran’s energy and bridges in a matter of days: “In one day their energy is gone. In one day their bridges are gone.” He said it “would only take me three days”.

He also acknowledged that high petrol prices linked to the war helped drive his party’s losses in the recent midterm elections, while defending the decision to attack Iran.

The remarks fit a pattern. On Sunday, November 8, Trump said renewed strikes were “highly unlikely” if Tehran signs a deal, and named 38 bridges he could bring down in an hour. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, at the G7 in Paris, said the US sees no need for major combat and prefers an economic campaign. What is new on Thursday is Trump saying the restraint is partly at others’ request, and that he does not fully share it.

The mine in Hormuz

On Friday the IRGC Navy’s public relations office said a liquefied gas carrier exploded after hitting a naval mine east of the strait, on what it called an “unauthorised and dangerous southern route”. It said the ship had ignored repeated warnings, had not learned from the oil tankers that exploded earlier, and relied on protection from US fighter jets for the crossing. The Guards said they were managing the strait “with full determination and firmness” and warned that any vessel using unauthorised routes would face a similar fate.

The statement does not name the ship, its flag, owner or crew, and no casualties have been reported. The cargo is described differently: the Guards’ statement as carried in reports says liquefied petroleum gas, while another report says liquefied natural gas. Nothing in the account has been confirmed by the ship’s owner or any independent body.

Iranian media had said on Thursday that four oil tankers were hit by explosions in the strait after ignoring warnings about restricted areas. Our report on that day’s claim about two supertankers carrying more than four million barrels records that those accounts also rest on the Guards alone.

A busy month at sea

The Washington Institute for Near East Policy counts at least 10 ships hit in the first 10 days of November, after 37 attacks in October, the highest monthly total since the conflict began in late February. Shipping traffic has recovered somewhat and oil prices have fallen on hopes of de-escalation, but the attacks have not stopped.

Five days of mixed signals

1. November 8, 2026Trump says renewed strikes 'highly unlikely' if Iran signs a deal.
2. November 12, 2026Guards say two supertankers were stopped by explosions on the southern route.
3. November 12, 2026Trump says Gulf states asked him to hold off on heavy strikes.
4. November 13, 2026Guards say a gas carrier hit a mine in Hormuz.

Why it matters to India

India buys much of its crude through Hormuz. According to ship-tracking data cited in our November 12 report, crude from the Gulf reached 2.1 million barrels a day in November so far, ahead of the 1.8 million from Russia. Any lasting disruption of the route therefore matters to Indian refiners. The Ministry of External Affairs says 23 Indians, 15 of them seafarers, have died in the West Asia conflict.

What happens next

No date has been set for new US strikes or for the next round of talks; Trump has tied any attack to whether Iran signs an agreement, and Tehran says it will discuss the US response only once its conditions are met. In the meantime, ship-risk firms and navies will watch whether the Guards’ warnings about the southern route lead to more incidents, and whether the ship’s owner or flag state identifies the vessel.