President Trump says he is nearing one of the biggest decisions of his second term: whether to unleash another major round of American attacks on Iran or keep pressing for an agreement.

The president did not pretend the choice was simple, and he did not give Tehran the comfort of knowing which way he is leaning.

“Do I want to go in and annihilate them, or do I not?” President Trump told Axios on Thursday. “It’s a big decision. Anything could happen with me.”

The interview immediately put the world on notice:

The decision carries immediate stakes. American forces are already positioned across the region, the naval blockade remains active, and the president is preparing to hear directly from six Gulf allies whose countries would be exposed to any new escalation.

ADVERTISEMENT

Axios reports that President Trump plans to meet Tuesday with leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Those talks could determine whether the United States makes another diplomatic push or resumes large-scale combat operations. Regional support matters because Iran has already threatened oil and gas infrastructure belonging to American allies, and any renewed campaign could put those countries directly in the line of fire.

The president said he wants to hear where the Gulf leaders stand and how their countries are holding up. He has not said whether the final decision will come before or after the midterm elections.

The same report says some American officials believe the current military posture cannot remain frozen indefinitely. President Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have ordered U.S. forces in the Middle East to maintain their strength through the end of the year, leaving the military ready if diplomacy fails.

That readiness is visible right now.

U.S. Central Command released a new image of an F/A-18F Super Hornet launching from the USS George H.W. Bush while the carrier operates in regional waters. CENTCOM said American forces have redirected 104 commercial vessels as part of the blockade against Iran:

The military pressure is doing more than putting ships and aircraft on display. It is restricting Iran’s ability to move oil, raising the price of defiance for the regime and giving President Trump leverage at the negotiating table.

President Trump told Axios that Iran remains in direct contact with the United States and still wants a deal. He also said he is satisfied with the blockade’s results and argued that it has prevented ships from reaching Iranian ports.

The administration’s strategy since early August has been to squeeze Tehran without immediately reopening a full-scale air campaign. Negotiations were suspended, economic sanctions were intensified, the blockade continued and American forces focused on keeping the Strait of Hormuz open to lawful traffic.

ADVERTISEMENT

The White House has argued that the administration’s control of the strait disproved predictions that Iran could permanently choke off one of the world’s most important energy routes.

The official account pointed to nearly 1,500 commercial vessels moving through the strait under U.S. protection and Gulf oil exports recovering to two-thirds of pre-operation levels as evidence that the United States had denied Tehran the power to dictate terms to the global economy.

Oil movement has improved, but traffic remains below prewar levels and prices remain elevated. That is one reason the present standoff cannot simply be allowed to drift forever.

The diplomatic track is still alive, but it is backed by unmistakable force.

Fox News laid out the next phase: Gulf leaders are preparing to meet with President Trump, American carriers remain on station and the administration is examining what a postwar regional order could look like:

The White House is reportedly drafting a longer-term plan built around containing Iran and expanding normalization between Israel and its Arab neighbors. The proposal is still early, and major political events in both Israel and the United States could shape what survives.

But the objective is larger than ending the latest round of fighting. President Trump is looking at whether the region can be reorganized so Iran is boxed in, its proxies have less room to operate and American allies carry more of the burden of keeping the peace.

That is where the coming Gulf meeting becomes so important. The six governments at the table understand Iran’s threats, missile reach and economic pressure firsthand.

They also know that a weak agreement would merely give the regime time to rebuild.

ADVERTISEMENT

President Trump’s critics will demand that he announce his decision before those consultations are complete. Tehran would love the same thing.

Instead, the president is keeping both doors open: a deal that protects American interests or overwhelming force if Iran mistakes restraint for weakness.

That uncertainty is part of the leverage. Iran cannot be sure that another attack will go unanswered, and American allies cannot assume Washington will carry every risk without their cooperation.

President Trump has spent months saying the war will end soon. The next few days may reveal whether it ends through an agreement backed by American power or through a new campaign designed to break the regime’s ability to prolong the conflict.

Either way, the holding pattern is approaching its limit.

The carriers are in place. The blockade is active.

The Gulf leaders are coming to New York.

And the final decision rests with President Trump.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport. View the original article here.

ADVERTISEMENT
 

Join The Conversation. Leave a Comment.