President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is weighing whether to intensify U.S. military action against Iran and will consider the views of six Gulf nations during talks next week as Tehran issued a new demand for keeping the Strait of Hormuz closed.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Thursday that he is approaching a major decision over the next phase of the U.S. war with Iran, including whether to launch another large-scale military offensive against the Iranian government.
Trump made the comments in an interview with Axios days before he is scheduled to meet representatives of six Gulf nations during the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The president said those discussions will factor into his decision on whether the United States escalates military operations or takes another course.
“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 told Axios.
The comments represent the latest indication that the administration is evaluating how to proceed after months of fighting between the United States and Iran. Trump has made similar statements about possible military escalation during the conflict, but Thursday’s remarks came immediately before a planned round of consultations with some of the countries most directly affected by the war.
Trump is expected to meet Tuesday at U.N. headquarters in Manhattan with leaders or representatives from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman. The six countries make up the Gulf Cooperation Council and have been affected by the regional military and economic consequences of the conflict.
Trump told Axios that he wants to hear directly from the Gulf countries before settling on his next move.
“I want to find out where they are and how they are doing. We have been very protective of them,” Trump said.
The president indicated that what he hears during the meeting will help determine his approach to Iran. Axios reported that the administration has been weighing whether to make another diplomatic effort or return to large-scale military attacks.
The U.S.-Iran war began Feb. 28 with coordinated American and Israeli strikes inside Iran. The conflict has continued for nearly seven months, with Iranian forces retaliating against U.S. and Israeli targets and disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz affecting regional shipping and energy markets.
As Trump considers the next U.S. move, an Iranian official on Thursday tied the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz to the political futures of Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mohammad Baqer Zolqadr, a senior political adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said the waterway would remain closed as long as Trump and Netanyahu remain in power, according to Iranian state media.
“Our warriors will not open the Strait of Hormuz until they remove the criminal Trump and the bloodthirsty Netanyahu from the throne of power,” Zolqadr said.
The statement represents Iran’s position as expressed by a senior official and does not establish that either leader’s removal from office is achievable through the conflict. Zolqadr previously held a senior position on Iran’s Supreme National Security Council and has been involved in Tehran’s public demands concerning the Strait of Hormuz.
The strategic waterway has become one of the central points of pressure during the war. Iran has imposed restrictions on traffic through the strait, while the United States has conducted military operations aimed at increasing shipping through the route.
Zolqadr now serves as a political adviser to Mojtaba Khamenei, who became Iran’s supreme leader after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed during the opening U.S.-Israeli attacks on Feb. 28.
Mojtaba Khamenei has not appeared publicly since succeeding his father, and his physical condition has remained uncertain.
U.S. officials have said he was wounded during the opening attacks. Vice President JD Vance said in March that Washington knew Khamenei had been injured but did not know the severity of his wounds. President Trump separately said the Iranian leader was injured and “probably alive somehow.”
Despite his absence from public appearances, Mojtaba Khamenei has remained Iran’s supreme leader and has issued written statements during the conflict. Axios reported in July that he had been seriously wounded in the attack that killed his father and had not appeared publicly since.
Ali Khamenei’s death during the Feb. 28 strikes marked a major change in Iran’s leadership at the outset of the current war. Reuters reported that the longtime supreme leader was killed as U.S. and Israeli forces launched coordinated attacks against Iranian targets.
The conflict has since continued through repeated military operations, attempted negotiations and disputes over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump’s planned meeting with the six Gulf countries on Tuesday will occur on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly and is expected to focus on the next stage of the war and Washington’s broader approach to the region.
For now, Trump has not announced whether he has authorized another major offensive against Iran.
His comments Thursday instead placed that decision after consultations with Gulf leaders, while Iran simultaneously hardened its public rhetoric over the Strait of Hormuz and tied reopening the waterway to the continued leadership of Trump and Netanyahu.
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