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Trump weighs massive attack
US President Donald Trump said he is “close to making a decision” on a “massive attack” against Iran that would be “bigger than ever before,” in an interview with Axios reported on Thursday.
“Trump weighing 'massive' US strikes on Iran: Axios 'I am close to making a decision”
Trump told Axios reporter Barak Ravid, “I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it,” while two US officials confirmed no call was made and no new orders were given to the military.
The Hill said Trump’s comments came as the U.S. military completed a 12th consecutive day of strikes against Tehran Wednesday evening, according to U.S. Central Command.
The Hill also reported that Trump said Israel, which jointly launched the conflict’s initial strikes with the U.S. on Feb. 28, would join these new military operations “in two minutes if I ask them to,” but that the U.S. does not “need anybody.”
Rubio, mediation, and threats
Secretary of State Marco Rubio described Trump’s military stance toward Tehran as a “head for an eye,” telling reporters at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’s 2026 annual summit in Manila, Philippines, “The president’s policy is a head for an eye.”
Rubio said, “they [Iran] will pay a very heavy price for the things they’re doing,” as Trump told Axios that the Iranians “want to negotiate” but “They haven’t received enough pain yet.”
Two regional sources with knowledge of mediation efforts told Axios that Iranian leadership had not accepted the latest proposal, with one saying, “We are trying, but the Iranians are not being helpful.”
The Times of India added that Trump said Israel “would join in two minutes if I ask them to,” while warning there would be “consequences” for Israel joining the strikes, hinting at Iranian retaliation.
Oil, shipping, and regional fallout
Trump’s threats and the widening confrontation were tied in the sources to attacks in the Red Sea, where the Houthis attacked two Saudi oil tankers after declaring a blockade of the Bab al Mandeb Strait on Tuesday.
Daily Star said oil prices “skyrocket,” with oil exceeding $100 a barrel for the first time since May, as it described the strait as “situated at the southern gateway to the Red Sea” and a bottleneck for oil tankers and cargo ships.
In a separate development, the Egyptian Gazette reported that the UK announced it was temporarily withdrawing diplomatic staff from Iran on Wednesday, and that the German military announced on Thursday that it would withdraw two vessels from the Red Sea.
The Egyptian Gazette also quoted UN secretary general António Guterres telling the security council that the Middle East was being pushed to the “edge of the unimaginable,” saying, “One escalation triggers the next.”
