Trump says he’s mulling ‘a massive, bigger than ever before’ attack on Iran
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump says he’s mulling ‘a massive, bigger than ever before’ attack on Iran")
Donald Trump says he believes Iran’s leaders want to negotiate, but aren’t yet ready to make a deal. Photograph: (AFP)
President Donald Trump warned on Thursday that Iran and its Houthi allies would both face “major military punishment” if the Yemeni rebels repeat their attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea. The escalation over the last few days has caused oil prices to eclipse $100 per barrel.
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he is considering ordering a “bigger than ever before” attack on Iran and added it seemed to him that the Iranian regime “haven’t received enough pain yet.”
“I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it,” Trump said in an interview with Axios, adding that he believed Iran’s leaders “want to negotiate”, but aren’t yet ready to make a deal.
“They haven’t received enough pain yet,” Trump said further.
Trump also acknowledged that such a decision would have consequences and stressed he hasn’t made a determination yet, and he did not give any deadline for his decision.
The US president also warned in a social media post that Iran and its Houthi allies would both face “major military punishment” if the Yemeni rebels repeat their attacks on Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.
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Replying to a query, Trump said that Israel would join US military action “in two minutes if I ask them to,” but added that “we don’t need anybody” to launch expanded operations against Iran.
The escalation over the last few days has caused oil prices to eclipse $100 per barrel.
The US has been escalating its attacks over the past 12 days in an effort to stop Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran has also intensified attacks in the region.
The attacks by the Houthi rebels in Yemen on Saudi ships in the Red Sea threaten to cripple another critical oil shipping route and disrupt the global energy market again.
Meanwhile, Trump said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to attend the late Senator Lindsey Graham’s wake in Washington next week.
“Relations with Bibi are very good. I would meet with him if he is here,” Trump said.
UK withdraws remaining diplomats from Iran
Britain’s government said on Thursday that it has withdrawn all remaining diplomatic staff from Tehran as the conflict between Iran and the US escalates.
“Due to the security situation, UK staff have been temporarily withdrawn from Iran. Our embassy continues to operate remotely,” the foreign office said on its website.
Britain withdrew its embassy staff from Iran in June after a similar move by other European nations, Australia and New Zealand as Israel launched renewed airstrikes on Iran, claiming the Islamic Republic was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon.
The foreign office said it “advises against all travel to Iran”.
“If you are a British national already in Iran, either resident or visitor, carefully consider your presence there and the risks you take by staying," the statement said.
