‘I have a big decision coming up’: Trump says he’s approaching major ‘crossroad’ in Iran war

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he is approaching a critical juncture in the Iran war and has to take a decision on whether to restart massive attacks in an effort to bring the conflict to a close.

“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 Axios.

Though the US president has made similar threats earlier, his comments come ahead of a planned meeting with leaders from six Gulf countries on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

The meeting would be crucial in charting the next phase of the war, including whether to intensify military action or make another push for diplomacy. If Trump wants to resume major combat operations, he would need agreement of support from his regional allies.

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Trump has been repeatedly saying in recent days that the war will end soon. However, some US officials warn that the conflict has settled into an unsustainable, neither-war-nor-peace stalemate, and they believe Trump could return to major combat operations after the midterms if a deal isn’t reached by then.

Trump made it clear that he wants to use the meeting at the UN to hear directly from regional allies about the war’s next steps.

“I want to find out where they are and how they are doing. We have been very protective of them,” Trump said.

The Gulf countries which will be participating in the meting are Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman.

Trump refused to commit, whether he will decide on the path forward before or after the midterms.

In early August, Trump held off on resuming major combat operations after Saudi Arabia and Qatar expressed concern that Iran would bomb Saudi oil and gas facilities in retaliation.

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Trump then suspended negotiations with Tehran and launched a new economic sanctions campaign, while continuing a naval blockade on Iranian ports and focusing the US military on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and increasing oil flow to the global energy market.

The US military has significantly increased oil and gas tanker transit through the strait, but the traffic is still below pre-war levels, and consequently oil prices remain high.

Trump further told Axios that he is very satisfied that the naval blockade has prevented Iran from exporting its oil. “Not one ship has gone to Iran since we started. They tried and we blew them up,” he said.

The president added that Iran is in direct contact with the US and that the Iranians still want to reach a deal.

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US officials say Trump and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth have ordered the military to maintain its level of forces in the Middle East until the end of the year and be ready for a potential return to full-scale combat.

The officials say Trump will have to decide on the way forward soon, partly because the US military can’t stay in its current holding pattern much longer.

“At some point you have to decide what is the end game,” said one official.

The White House has also been working on a post-war regional strategy to contain Iran while expanding normalisation of relations between Israel and its neighbours.

Notably, the Oct. 27 election in Israel and the US midterms in November will play a prominent role in shaping up the planning.