'Anything could happen with me': Trump faces 'big decision' in Iran war
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump said on Thursday, September 17, he faces a major choice over whether to resume attacks on Iran, adding, “anything could happen with me.”
He said he has “a big decision” over whether to “annihilate” the Iranian regime, without saying when he will decide.
The comments came ahead of a planned Tuesday meeting with six Gulf leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
Trump leaves Iran war decision open
President Trump told Axios on Thursday that he is nearing a critical decision on whether to resume major attacks on Iran to bring the war to an end.
Trump said the UN meeting will allow him to hear directly from regional allies before determining the conflict’s next phase.
“I want to find out where they are and how they are doing. We have been very protective of them,” Trump told the outlet.
The participating countries are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman.
Trump declined to say whether he would decide before or after the midterms.
Trump has said several times in recent days that the war will end soon.
Some US officials, however, say the conflict has settled into an unsustainable stalemate between war and peace.
Those officials believe Trump could return to major combat operations after the midterms if a deal is not reached by then.
"I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate them [the Iranian regime] or do I not? It's a big decision. Anything could happen with me," Trump said.
President Trump's August decision still shapes the strategy
In early August, Trump held off on resuming major combat operations after Saudi Arabia and Qatar expressed concern that Iran would retaliate by bombing Saudi oil and gas facilities.
Since then, Trump has taken a “low-key” approach, according to Axios.
The administration suspended negotiations with Iran, launched a new economic sanctions campaign, and continued a naval blockade on Iranian ports.
The US military has also focused on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and increasing oil flow to the global energy market, as per the report.
Tanker transit through the strait has increased significantly, but remains below pre-war levels, while oil prices remain high.
Trump told the outlet he is satisfied that the naval blockade has prevented Iran from exporting its oil.
“Not one ship has gone to Iran since we started. They tried, and we blew them up,” Trump said.
The president also said Iran is in direct contact with the US and that Iranian officials still want to reach a deal.
Officials say the holding pattern cannot continue
Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have ordered US forces in the Middle East to maintain their current level through the end of the year, US officials said, keeping them ready for a possible return to full-scale combat.
One official said Trump needs to decide the conflict’s end state soon because the military cannot remain in its current holding pattern much longer, as per the outlet.
“At some point you have to decide what is the end game,” the official said.
The White House is also developing a post-war strategy focused on a regional effort to contain Iran while expanding normalization of relations between Israel and its neighbors, the report stated.
The plan remains in the early stages of drafting and is intended to guide the US approach in the Middle East after the war and during the final two years of Trump’s term, the report added.
Two political dates loom over that planning: Israel’s October 27 election and the US midterms in November.
Asked by the outlet whether he would meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York next week, Trump said, “I may.”
