Trump says he has no regrets as Gulf diplomacy intensifies over Iran war spillover

US President Donald Trump has said he has no regrets about launching the US-Israeli war against Iran, according to remarks reported on Thursday. He said he would do exactly the same again if given another chance. The comments come as regional diplomacy intensifies around the conflict's wider spillover, including concern over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and the war in Yemen.

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South Korea's foreign minister, Cho Hyun, held a telephone call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and discussed the situation in the Middle East, including freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, Seoul's foreign ministry said. At the same time, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman reportedly called Trump twice on Thursday and urged him to launch strikes against the Houthis. Trump rejected that request, and US officials said Washington does not intend to take direct military action against the Houthis at this time.

The reported exchanges point to a widening set of pressures linked to the war, with Washington trying to keep its focus on Iran while avoiding the opening of another front. US officials have also told Saudi counterparts in recent weeks that Trump's directive is to safeguard the Strait of Hormuz and avoid direct military involvement against the Houthis. Admiral Brad Cooper, commander of US Central Command, travelled to Saudi Arabia on Thursday for urgent coordination talks, underlining the scale of the concern.

The Strait of Hormuz remains a critical chokepoint for global energy and shipping flows, so any disruption can quickly affect markets and regional security calculations. Preliminary shiptracking data showed vessel transits through the strait fell to seven on Thursday from 11 the previous day, well below the 10-day average of 15. That decline adds to worries that the conflict could affect commercial traffic beyond the immediate battlefield.

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Diplomatic efforts are also under way to reduce the risk of further disruption. Gulf foreign ministers are expected to meet their Iranian counterpart on Monday in the Omani coastal city of Salalah, in a push by Oman and Iran to secure support for a temporary deal to manage shipping through the strait. The planned meeting suggests regional governments are trying to contain the fallout even as military and political tensions remain high.

The broader political context is also significant for Washington, where the rising cost of living fuelled by the war is expected to weigh on support for Trump's right-wing Republican Party in the November midterm elections. The conflict is therefore carrying both strategic and domestic political consequences, while also testing coordination between the United States, Saudi Arabia, Iran and other Gulf states. What remains unclear is whether the shipping talks will produce any practical arrangement and whether the fighting in Yemen will deepen further.

The next key developments are likely to come from the Salalah meeting, further US-Saudi coordination and any change in vessel traffic through Hormuz.

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