Trump Meets National Security Team on Iran: Says He Will Soon Decide Whether to Resume All-Out War
Washington — After meeting with his national security team on Iran on November 5, President Donald Trump said he will soon decide whether to resume all-out war against Iran. According to Axios, it was Trump's first meeting with his top national security advisers on Iran since the midterm elections, held as part of his weekly intelligence briefing, as two U.S. officials confirmed.
"Now we will make a decision," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "Do we want to go further and certify it so that it will never happen again? I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to. You'll know soon enough." He also said the United States is building more weapons than ever before and that its forces are "locked and loaded" if needed.
Trump is, for now, considering three options: launching new strikes, continuing to strangle Iran's regime economically, or cutting a deal that includes significant concessions from the Iranians. U.S. Central Command is finalizing preparations to potentially resume major combat operations in Iran, though it has not received a new directive from Washington, a U.S. official said.
Diplomatic activity moved on several tracks the same day: Iran sent a new nuclear proposal to the United States via Qatar, which U.S. officials said they were reviewing; Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held multiple calls with regional mediators from Qatar and Saudi Arabia; and Mohsen Rezaei, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.
The midterm election had long been seen as an inflection point for Trump's Iran decision. After Republicans lost both chambers of Congress, the White House publicly attributed the defeat in part to the war and to fuel prices. The decision Trump says is coming "soon" will determine whether the months-long conflict moves toward a new wave of large-scale strikes or toward the negotiating table.
(Source: Axios)
Source: Axios
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：特朗普与国家安全团队在白宫战情室开会（白宫官方照片，资料图）。公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: President Trump and his national security team meet in the Situation Room of the White House (official White House photo; file photo). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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