President Donald Trump told Axios’s Barak Ravid on Thursday that he’s weighing whether or not to “annihilate” Iran.
Ravid reported that Trump is “approaching a critical juncture in the Iran war over whether to restart massive attacks in an effort to bring the conflict to a close.”
Iranian attacks in the Strait of Hormuz continued this week as U.S. energy prices soar amid rising rates and concerns over growing inflation. Iran-backed Houthi rebels have also escalated their attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure in recent weeks and are threatening to blockade the Red Sea, which would effectively cut off Saudi oil exports.
“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 Ravid.
Trump has long used bombastic rhetoric when threatening Iran, including saying in April the “whole civilization will die tonight.”
Trump is set to meet with the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week.
Trump told Ravid his upcoming decision could hinge on what is said at the meeting.
“I want to find out where they are and how they are doing. We have been very protective of them,” Trump told Ravid.
Trump has continued to express confidence the war will end soon, despite having made the claim dozens of times to no avail. Over the weekend, Trump told reporters the war will end “very soon.”
“I think it will be probably right after the midterms. They’re trying to hold out as long as they can to complicate the election. But I think people are wise to it because Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon. It’s very simple. This is a very simple thing. Iran cannot have — they were two weeks away from having a nuclear weapon,” he claimed.
“But I would say shortly. And oil will come tumbling down when that happens; oil prices will come tumbling down,” he added, addressing the growing energy crisis in the country.
Trump also said he believes the conflict in Saudi Arabia will be “fine and dandy.”
“I have made a call with MBS. He’s a good friend of mine, and it’s going to — I can just say everything’s going to work out fine and dandy. It’s going to be very good,” Trump claimed.
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