Trump weighs return to large-scale Iran strikes: ‘I have a big decision coming up’

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he was approaching a major decision on whether to resume large-scale attacks on Iran, as Washington weighs how to bring the months-long war to an end, according to a report published by Barak Ravid of Israel’s Channel 12 and US news outlet Axios. “I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate them [the Iranian regime] or do I not?” Trump told Ravid in a phone interview. “It’s a big decision. Anything could happen with me.” The comments come days before Trump was set to meet the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, with the future of the Iran war expected to be a central focus. Trump said he intends to use the meeting to gauge the Gulf states’ positions before determining his next steps against Iran. “I want to find out where they are and how they are doing,” Trump said. “We have been very protective of them.” Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms The Gulf states have been repeatedly targeted by Iran since Israel and the US launched the war against the Islamic Republic on February 28. A man walks away after watching as a black plume of smoke rises from a warehouse in the industrial area of Sharjah City, United Arab Emirates, March 1, 2026, following Iranian strikes. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri) According to Ravid, Trump has not said whether he will make a decision on what steps to take before the US midterm elections in November or whether he will wait until after. US officials warned that the current military posture is difficult to sustain indefinitely, with one telling Ravid, “At some point you have to decide what is the endgame.” Advertisement The US and Israel launched the war on February 28 with the stated goals of eliminating Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile threats, destabilizing the regime, and weakening its network of regional proxies. Iran retaliated with attacks across the region and blockaded the Strait of Hormuz, through which one-fifth of world oil supplies previously flowed — a move that has sent oil prices soaring and caused global economic fallout. Hostilities between Israel and Iran have been halted since early April — with one exception in June — but violence has periodically flared between the US and the Islamic Republic, with the Gulf states bearing the brunt of Iran’s anger. With the military offensive largely halted, the US has instead turned to economic pressure and sanctions to try to force Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz — which it has not yet done. Iranian crypto exchange hit with Hormuz-related sanctions The US has, however, continued to target the Iranian economy. On Thursday, the US Treasury announced sanctions on an Iranian cryptocurrency exchange controlled by sanctioned Iranian financier Babak Zanjani, accusing ‌it of processing payments for ships to transit safely through the Strait of Hormuz. Advertisement The Treasury said BitBank has routed hundreds of millions of dollars to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and described the exchange as a key component in Iran’s digital assets-based sanctions-evasion infrastructure. The exchange was used to transfer funds paid to Iran’s newly established Hormuz Safe Marine Services Authority, the Treasury says in a statement. A picture made available on March 6, 2016, shows Iran’s billionaire tycoon Babak Zanjani (C) in a court in Tehran. (Tasnim News/AFP) Zanjani has long been a key figure in Iran’s sanctions-evasion networks. He was sentenced to death by Iranian authorities in 2016 for embezzlement. His sentence was commuted in 2024. The following year, he re-emerged as a backer of Iranian government economic projects. The designation is part of the Treasury’s “Operation Economic Outcast” intended to isolate Iran economically and disrupt Iran’s global financial, commercial, and logistical networks, according to the statement. The strategy has targeted Iran’s illicit oil trade, financial intermediaries, exchange houses and shipping, aviation and front companies. The US also sanctioned Pishtaz Simorgh Electronic Trade Company, the software developer behind BitBank, and three close associates of Zanjani, Hossein Ali Zaker Hossein, Mohammad Mahdi Zaker Hossein and Seyed Adel Heidari. Reduced Iran delegation to attend UN General Assembly But despite the seven-month-old war and the ongoing US pressure campaign, a State Department spokesperson confirmed on Thursday that Washington would still allow an Iranian delegation to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week. “Consistent with our host country obligations, the core delegation from the Iranian regime will be able to attend UN General Assembly High Level Week,” the spokesman said. A source familiar with the matter confirms that this will also cover the Iranian president. The delegation will still face restrictions, however. Advertisement “The delegation will be under travel restrictions and will face prohibitions on the purchase of luxury and other goods per our policy. The delegation is smaller than last year,” a State Department spokesperson said. Despite allowing Iran’s entry, the US blocked Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and a number of Palestinian officials from attending the General Assembly, forcing him to address the assembly remotely for the second year running. Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world. If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism , please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. 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Sign in to stop seeing this Most Popular 1 Saudis reportedly won’t budge on Israel normalization, even as they seek help against Houthis 2 US rejects Abbas’s entry visa, forcing him to again address UN virtually 3 British Labour MP calls for ‘military action’ against Israel, then apologizes 4 Vance: US cannot let its Mideast foreign policy be ‘subservient to Israel’ 5 Gaza terrorists heard joking during Oct. 7 attack in newly released intercepted calls 6 Analysis The Macklemore battle presents a trap that pro-Israel activists have yet to escape 7 PM pledges bill to strip citizenship from those who smear IDF abroad amid ‘NAZA’ outcry 8 Shin Bet’s most senior female agent speaks of how she heard daughter die on Oct. 7 read more: Israel & the Region Donald Trump 2026 US-Israel war with Iran Strait of Hormuz Iran sanctions UN General Assembly If you’d like to comment, join The Times of Israel Community. JOIN THE TOI COMMUNITY Already a member? 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