Trump Signals Possible Iran Military Strikes as Regional Tensions Rise

President Donald Trump has signaled he is weighing a decision on whether to order major military strikes against Iran, telling Axios in an interview published Thursday that he faces "a big decision" on whether to "go in and annihilate them" as the nearly seven-month-old conflict between Washington and Tehran shows no sign of resolution. Trump's comments come as the White House prepares for a Tuesday meeting on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York with leaders and senior officials from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman — Gulf states that US officials say have a direct stake in whether Washington resumes major combat operations against Iran. In mid-August, Trump held off on ordering a return to large-scale strikes after concerns raised by Saudi Arabia and Qatar that Tehran could retaliate against Gulf oil and gas infrastructure, the Breitbart report noted. Trump told Axios he is pursuing "much more than a nuclear deal" with Iran, saying issues not contemplated in earlier negotiations are now on the table. He predicted the conflict would end "immediately after" the November midterm elections, asserting that Iran "can't hold out any longer." War Secretary Pete Hegseth has instructed the US military to maintain Middle East force levels through the end of the year, with one US official quoted as saying, "At some point you have to decide what is the end game." The US-led naval blockade has cleared mines from primary shipping lanes in the Strait of Hormuz, with CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Tim Hawkins confirming that more than 900 million barrels of crude have moved through the strait since early May when the US military began helping commercial vessels transit the waterway. Trump confirmed that Washington is communicating directly with Tehran — not through intermediaries — and that Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has signaled readiness for dialogue while demanding sanctions relief. However, Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, has taken a harder line, declaring no talks until Iran's conditions are met. Speaking at a rally in Gastonia, North Carolina on Wednesday, Trump told supporters, "You watch what's gonna happen to Iran. It's gonna be a really good conclusion."