President Trump says it is very doubtful the U.S. will start fighting Iran again, but he might still do it if he has to.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, he said a return to strikes depends on whether Iran agrees to a strong deal.
He also claimed the U.S. hit Iran very hard and said he would strike again if needed.
Trump is set to meet Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House on Monday.
Qatar is one of the mediators trying to end the conflict.
The meeting is Trump’s first with a foreign leader since his Republican Party lost control of Congress in last week’s midterm elections.
He has admitted that the war, which began with U.S. and Israeli strikes in late February, was partly to blame for that loss.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said peace talks have paused because mediators stopped travelling after the US vote.
He said they need time to see what the results mean before moving forward.
He also said Americans are tired of Israel pulling the US into long wars, and that the region has had enough too.
Trump argued that Iran’s economy is collapsing and claimed inflation has hit 301 per cent.
Iran’s official figures put it at nearly 90 per cent in September.
Outright fighting has largely stopped, but Iran is still trying to block the strait, a key route for global energy, while the US Navy is blocking Iranian ports.