WASHINGTON (AP) mdash; U.S. forces carriednbsp;out new defensive strikesnbsp;on Wednesday on an Iran military facility after downing Iranian attack drones, according to U.S. officials.The officials, who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said U.S. Centr al Command forces shot down four Iranian one-way attack drones that posed a threat around the Strait of Hormuz.U.S. forces also struck an Iranian ground control station in Bandar Abbas that was about to launch a fifth drone, according to the officials.The strikes came after Presidentnbsp;Donald Trumpnbsp;asserted Wednesday that Iran is ldquo;negotiating on fumesrdquo; and insisted thatnbsp;Novemberrsquo;s midterm electionsnbsp;wonrsquo;t make him rush into a deal to end the nearlynbsp;three-month-old conflictnbsp;thatrsquo;s spurred unease across the global economy.Speaking at the start of a Cabinet meeting, Trump expressed confidence that a deal is near. Over the weekend, he even declared that his administration and Tehran hadnbsp;ldquo;largely negotiatedrdquo; a settlement,nbsp;though the talks are stillnbsp;in flux.The president is looking for a settlement that will reopennbsp;the Strait of Hormuznbsp;and provide him with a credible argument thatnbsp;Iranrsquo;s nuclear capabilitynbsp;has been diminished enough to declare victory, winding down a conflict thatrsquo;s been politically unpopular for Republicans.But as things stand, Trump also risks finding that closure to his war of choice comes with an unsatisfactory ending.The emerging deal puts off many critical issues to be resolved later and has already exposed the Republican president to fierce criticism mdash; even from some of his own supporters mdash; that Iranrsquo;s hardline leaders will emerge from the conflict battered but emboldened. It all comes to a head just asnbsp;the midterm electionsnbsp;to determine control of Congress come into focus and as Republicans worry thatnbsp;rising costs and fuel pricesnbsp;are darkening the American electoratersquo;s mood.But Trump on Wednesday dismissed the idea that the upcoming elections would shape his Iran strategy.ldquo;They thought they were gonna outwait me. You know, lsquo;Wersquo;ll outwait him. Hersquo;s got the midterms,rsquo;rdquo; Trump said. ldquo;I donrsquo;t care about the midterms.rdquo;Trump acknowledged therersquo;s still work to do, but he spoke with a measure of certainty that the two sides would get there.ldquo;They want very much to make a deal,rdquo; Trump said. ldquo;So far, they havenrsquo;t gotten there. Wersquo;re not satisfied with it, but we will be mdash; either that or wersquo;ll have to just finish the job.rdquo;Talks were further complicated after U.S. forces carried outnbsp;what the Pentagon called ldquo;defensiverdquo; strikesnbsp;on missile launch sites and minelaying boats in southern Iran on Monday. The U.S. said it acted with ldquo;restraintrdquo; in light ofnbsp;the weekslong ceasefire, while Iran decried the action as a sign of ldquo;bad faith and unreliability.rdquo; Wednesdayrsquo;s strikes are likely to cause more complications.Some Trump backers are skepticalWhile Trump insists a deal is within reach, there appears to be daylight between the U.S. and Iran on several key issues. The president is also facingnbsp;scrutiny from Republican allies, including Sens. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Ted Cruz of Texas, who have said the terms seem too favorable to Tehran.Theyrsquo;re balking at aspects of the deal that have emerged publicly that they say too closely resemble the nuclear agreement reached with Iran by Democratic President Barack Obama, which Trump scrapped during his first term.Under the potential deal, Tehran would agree to give up its stockpile ofnbsp;highly enriched uraniumnbsp;mdash; a key Trump demand mdash; in return for sanctions relief. Thatrsquo;s according to two regional officials and one senior Trump administration official, all of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive negotiations.One regional official, with direct knowledge of the negotiations, said how Iran would give up the uranium would be subject to further talks during a 60-day period. Some would likely be diluted, while the rest would be transferred to a third country, the official said.Trump said that he ldquo;wouldnrsquo;t be comfortablerdquo; with either Russia or China taking Iranrsquo;s stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The two countries have the closest relations with Tehran, and nuclear analysts have said they could be a potential acceptable third party to the Iranian Republic to take possession of the enriched uranium as part of a potential deal.Iran has 440.9 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium that is enriched up to 60% purity, a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%, according tonbsp;the International Atomic Energy Agency. Iran has not publicly committed to giving up its uranium.How Trumprsquo;s plan affects Israelrsquo;s war in LebanonAnother key issue unresolved is whether the ceasefire will also cover Israelrsquo;s operations against Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed militant group in Lebanon. Iran has insisted that Lebanon must be covered by any ceasefire agreement negotiated with the United States.The administration appears to leave some wiggle room on the Lebanon question. The emerging memorandum of understanding calls for a ceasefire between the U.S. and its allies against Iran and its proxies, such as Hezbollah, but also underscores Israelrsquo;s right to act against imminent threats and in self-defense.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday announced that the Israeli military is ldquo;deepening its operationrdquo; in Lebanon. Overnight, Israelrsquo;s military clashed with the Iran-backed militantnbsp;Hezbollahnbsp;group along a strategic river in southern Lebanon as Israeli troops pushed farther north.Jonathan Conricus, a former spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces, said Israel expects that Iran would quickly move to direct any sanctions relief to restore its military capability and boost proxy groups, including Hezbollah and Hamas in Gaza.ldquo;Wersquo;re not done fighting, because the Iranian regime isnrsquo;t done,rdquo; said Conricus, who is a senior fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank.lsquo;Stunned silencersquo; as Trump ties Abraham Accords to Iran dealTrump on Wednesday also reinforced his call that the deal should include a requirement for several additional countries, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Pakistan, to joinnbsp;the Abraham Accords, the U.S.-brokered agreements from Trumprsquo;s first term aimed at normalizing diplomatic and economic relations with Israel.ldquo;Wersquo;re, you know, requesting strongly that they join,rdquo; Trump said.Trumprsquo;s optimism that the other Middle Eastern and majority-Muslim countries could soon sign on to the accords might be overly ambitious.For example, Saudi Arabia, the most significant power in the Arab world and long seen as the biggest prize for the normalization effort, has insisted that establishingnbsp;a guaranteed path to a Palestinian statenbsp;remains a precondition. Itrsquo;s something that Israel vehemently opposes.Trump pushed for the Abraham Accords during a call with leaders of Mideast allies over the weekend.Barbara Leaf, a retired U.S. ambassador to the United Arab Emirates and senior State Department official during President Joe Bidenrsquo;s Democratic administration, said officials from Gulf countries who were on the call told her that Trumprsquo;s pitch was greeted by ldquo;stunned silence.rdquo; A person familiar with the call disputed that characterization and said that some regional allies responded positively to the presidentrsquo;s call to join the accords. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity about the private conversation.Leaf, a distinguished diplomatic fellow at the Middle East Institute, said that Middle Eastern allies of the United States recognize that Iran will likely use any money from sanctions relief to bolster its military capabilities. Still, they have been supportive of Trumprsquo;s efforts to end the conflict.ldquo;They see no other way out,rdquo; Leaf said of American allies in the region. ldquo;And they see no other way out because of many of these early mistakes that the president and the administration made in conducting the war.rdquo;Permalink| Comments ...read more read less