No fresh Iran strikes unless Tehran provokes US, Trump tells advisers: Report

US President Donald Trump has told senior advisers that he may hold off on fresh attacks against Iran if Tehran and Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen do not take any further action against the US, Reuters reported, citing three people familiar with the discussions.

Trump has repeatedly shifted between threatening more attacks and signalling that he wants to end the war. However, current and former US officials say he has yet to decide how to end the conflict.

The war, which began after the US and Israel launched in February, has also become unpopular and was seen as one of the major reasons behind the Republicans' defeat in the midterm elections.

During recent meetings with his national security advisers and intelligence briefings, Trump discussed the possibility of holding back further strikes, Reuters reported, citing people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.

He has also shown support for regional allies who have asked him not to restart a full-scale 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.

Over the past two weeks, Trump has also spoken to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan to seek their views. Both leaders urged him not to resume attacks on Iran, according to a senior US official and another person familiar with the calls.

However, Trump did not promise either leader that he would hold back from further strikes.

Israel pushes for fresh strikes

Israel, meanwhile, has continued to push the US administration to launch another military campaign against Iran, Reuters reported, citing a US official.

Trump said this week that the US had already achieved what it could through negotiations, but did not make clear whether he would order fresh attacks.

“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!”

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Trump to discuss Iran war with Xi, Putin

Trump is also expected to discuss the Iran war with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during trilateral talks in China next week.

A senior US official confirmed this during a call with reporters on Friday ahead of the meeting scheduled for Thursday in Shenzhen, AFP reported.

"I think the president does intend to talk about Iran in the trilateral meeting with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin," the official said.

However, the official said the Ukraine war was unlikely to come up during the talks, as Washington is holding separate negotiations with Kyiv and Moscow.

"China is not really a part of that track, so it doesn't seem appropriate to have the Ukraine discussion there," the official added.