Trump Weighs Resumption of Iran War, Says Decision Coming Soon
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will soon decide whether to resume military operations against Iran, amid growing indications that Washington is preparing for a possible escalation of the conflict.
Trump made the disclosure on Thursday while speaking to reporters at the White House, following a meeting with his national security advisers.
The conflict, launched jointly by the United States and Israel in February, was aimed at preventing Tehran from developing nuclear weapons.
Questioning whether further military action was necessary to permanently dismantle Iran’s nuclear programme, Trump said: “Do we want to go further” with the attacks to ensure Iran’s nuclear programme is dead and “it will never happen again?”
He added: “I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to. You’ll know soon enough.”
The U.S. president maintained that his country had achieved most of its strategic objectives in Iran, declaring that the United States had secured “everything that we’ve wanted to control” in relation to the country.
“Now we will make a decision,” he said.
However, the U.S. news website, Axios, quoted an American official as saying that the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) was intensifying preparations for a possible resumption of major military operations against Iran.
The report added that the military command had yet to receive fresh directives from Washington authorising a renewed offensive.
Meanwhile, diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict appear to be continuing, with mediators making several recent trips to Tehran to engage Iranian authorities in negotiations.
Trump has also recently indicated that progress could be made through negotiations, raising the possibility of a diplomatic resolution even as his administration weighs the option of renewed military action.
The president’s latest remarks have therefore heightened uncertainty over Washington’s next move, with the possibility of a fresh offensive remaining on the table alongside ongoing diplomatic engagements.
