U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would soon decide whether to launch another major strike against Iran after senior White House deliberations on the next phase of the conflict.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump raised the possibility of further strikes to ensure Iran can never rebuild its nuclear weapons program, even as his administration weighs a possible diplomatic deal with Tehran.
“Now we will make a decision,” Trump said as he weighed whether the United States should launch further strikes to ensure Iran can never rebuild its nuclear weapons program.
Trump said he wanted to avoid further damage but was prepared to order more attacks. “I would rather not destroy other parts of the country if possible, but maybe I have to,” he said. “You’ll find out soon enough.”
Trump reinforced the warning by highlighting increased U.S. weapons production and the military’s readiness for further action. “If we have to do the rest of the Iran thing, we’re ready,” he said.
Axios cited two U.S. officials as saying Trump made the remarks after a meeting with top national security advisers on Thursday, the first time they discussed Iran since Tuesday’s midterm elections. Senior administration officials separately told Fox News that the White House had held meetings on Wednesday and Thursday about possible resumption of military operations.
The discussions come after Trump ruled out the possibility of further large-scale strikes before the election, and his administration is now considering relaunching a large-scale military campaign, continuing efforts to strangle the Iranian regime economically through sanctions and a naval blockade, or reaching a negotiated settlement with Tehran.
The review comes two days after Republicans suffered heavy losses in the midterm elections, which Trump acknowledged was partly due to higher gasoline prices due to the Iran conflict. The president has staunchly defended the U.S.-Israel operation, insisting that preventing Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons justifies the political cost and that he will authorize the operation again.
Meanwhile, Vice President Vance has emerged as a leading advocate for diplomacy rather than a new strike. In a long statement on Wednesday, Vance directly blamed the Iran conflict for the Republican defeat, arguing that voters who support Trump in 2024 have turned against the party because of this action.
As Washington weighs its military options, diplomatic efforts are also intensifying, with Qatar leading an attempt to broker a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and restart talks over Iran’s nuclear program. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held multiple calls on Thursday with regional mediators from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Egypt.
this new york times Iran is reviewing specific proposals put forward through mediators after weeks of refusing to negotiate, according to five officials briefed on the discussions. Diplomatic contacts included two rounds of talks in Tehran, a third in Doha and other discussions with Iranian officials in Armenia.
The opening is reportedly ongoing despite Tehran insisting that Washington first meet seven demands, including the lifting of sanctions, the release of frozen Iranian assets, compensation for Iranian losses in the conflict and an end to the U.S. naval blockade. Several of the demands have been previously rejected by Washington, which insists Iran’s nuclear program must be permanently dismantled.
Reuters quoted senior Iranian officials as saying that despite these differences, Iran submitted a nuclear proposal to the United States through Qatar on Thursday. The official said further talks still depended on Washington meeting Tehran’s conditions, including lifting sanctions and ending the blockade.
Mohsen Rezai, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and a key figure in indirect negotiations with Washington, reiterated Tehran’s tough stance after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday. Rezaei declared that Iran would not end its obstruction of shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and would not enter negotiations until the United States met all seven of its conditions.
However, according to Iranian media reports, Rezaei has privately shown a greater willingness to discuss Iran’s nuclear program than he has publicly stated. eraciting two Iranian officials and a U.S. official. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also participated in the discussion.
A major obstacle remains Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium, which Trump has demanded Tehran hand over as part of any nuclear deal. Iranian officials have refused to move the material abroad, although previous talks have explored diluting the material within Iran under international supervision.
Still, Qatari mediators are looking for possible compromises to break the deadlock. Under a two-day proposal described by Axios, Washington would first lift a naval blockade and release some frozen Iranian funds, while Tehran would formally invite International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors to inspect nuclear facilities damaged in the conflict.
The proposal calls for the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened the next day, paving the way for the resumption of talks over Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile. Neither Washington nor Tehran has announced its acceptance of the arrangement.
Asked on Thursday about reports that Iranian negotiators were reviewing new nuclear proposals, Trump insisted that Tehran could not proceed with its nuclear program without Washington’s approval.
“They won’t do anything without our approval,” he told reporters. “It doesn’t matter what they look at. They’re not going to have nuclear weapons.”
Trump also claimed that the US military now controls “everything we want to control” in Iran and described the US military’s position as “effectively an occupation.” He estimated it could take the country 25 years to rebuild from the damage caused during the conflict.
Meanwhile, U.S. military plans continued along with diplomatic efforts. The report quoted a U.S. official as saying that U.S. Central Command was making final preparations for the possible resumption of major combat operations, although it had received no new instructions from Washington.
U.S. Navy Theodore Roosevelt Aircraft carrier strike groups are also moving toward the Middle East, where two other U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups are already deployed. Its arrival could signal preparations for a new round of strikes. this roosevelt It is scheduled to stop in Singapore on Friday and is not expected to enter the Central Command area of responsibility before mid-November.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.