President Trump said Sunday he’s deciding whether to launch a catastrophic military attack on Iran.
“My question is, if and when do I blow the entire nation up? They better behave,” Mr. Trump told Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst in a phone interview Sunday morning.
The president’s threat followed his sudden return Saturday to the White House from Camp David, which cut short a weekend getaway.
Mr. Trump said he’s in “deciding mode” on Iran and “very big things [will happen] in the not too distant future.”
Mr. Trump is under increasing pressure to end the Iran war, now in its eighth month. The fighting has constricted the world’s oil supply, spiking prices for gasoline and diesel.
The president said the choices he’s weighing include wiping Iran out through military strikes, letting the regime “rot” economicall, or making a deal to end the war, which Tehran has refused to agree to.
On Friday, the House voted a third time to require Mr. Trump to seek congressional approval to conduct military action in Iran. Seven Republicans voted for the measure.
Mr. Trump returned Saturday to the White House as the State Department issued an alert to U.S. citizens across the Middle East, citing “the potential for unforeseen escalation.”
The alert was issued as Iran-backed Houthis launched ballistic missile attacks on Saudi Arabia.
On Sunday, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting issued a statement from the Iranian Armed Forces indicating it has received intelligence “the U.S. has once again decided — with the green light from certain regional countries — to resume actions against Iran during a joint meeting in a European nation.”
Mr. Trump told Fox he would “probably be open” to meeting with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the U.N. General Assembly this week.
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