Trump says US holding off tougher Iran measures at Gulf request
Trump said Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE asked him to wait, and that he could otherwise go further against Iran.
Washington is holding back tougher measures against Iran at the request of several Middle Eastern countries, US President Donald Trump said on Friday, Russia's state news agency TASS reported.
Trump said he could end the conflict immediately, but was taking a slower and more measured approach because of the countries he said he was looking to protect.
He said Saudi Arabia had asked him "please just let it be the way it is now for a while," and that Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates had also asked him to wait.
Trump said that without those requests, he could go further in the conflict.
"We've gone very far. We've attacked them pretty far," he said, adding that the United States had mostly left Iran's bridges alone.
Trump said the US destroyed one large bridge because Iran had behaved very badly, but had spared much of the country's electric and manufacturing capability.
He also said the US had not attacked Iran's energy sector at all.
The remarks came in response to a question from US TV journalist and sports commentator Stephen A. Smith, who asked Trump why Washington had so far been unable to end the conflict with the Islamic Republic.
Trump's comments point to the influence Gulf states are having on the pace of US action against Iran, a country that shares a long border with Pakistan.
The conflict has been a major concern across the Gulf region, where governments have sought to balance their security ties with Washington against the risk of wider escalation.