Donald Trump says he will soon decide whether to go further with strikes on Iran, after meeting his national security team on Thursday 5 November, Axios reports.
Citing two US officials, Axios says it was the first such meeting on Iran since the midterm elections. Speaking in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said:
"Now we will make a decision"
"I would rather not destroy the rest of the country if possible, but maybe I will have to. You'll know soon enough."
According to Axios, he is weighing three options. They are new strikes, continued economic strangulation, or a deal that includes significant concessions to Iran.
A US official told Axios that CENTCOM is finalising preparations to potentially resume major combat operations, but has not received a new directive from Washington.
Axios also reports that Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi held multiple calls on Thursday with mediators from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE, Oman and Egypt.