Shafaq News- Washington
US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he is nearing a decision on whether to resume large-scale attacks against Iran, ahead of a meeting with leaders from six Gulf countries next week.
“Do I want to go in and annihilate them or do I not? It’s a big decision. Anything could happen with me,” Trump told Axios.
He is expected to meet leaders from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman on September 22 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. “I want to find out where they are and how they are doing. We have been very protective of them,” Trump said, declining to say whether he would decide on the next phase before or after the US midterm elections in November.
Axios reported, citing US officials, that the administration views the current military posture as increasingly difficult to sustain and that Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have ordered US force levels in the Middle East maintained through the end of the year to preserve the option of returning to full-scale combat.
The US president held off on resuming major combat operations in early August after Saudi Arabia and Qatar raised concerns that Iran could retaliate against Saudi oil and gas facilities, and Washington has since suspended negotiations with Tehran, launched a new sanctions campaign, maintained a naval blockade on Iranian ports, and focused military operations on reopening the Strait of Hormuz and increasing tanker traffic.
Separately, Axios reported that the White House is now developing a post-war Middle East strategy centered on a regional effort to “contain Iran and expand normalization between Israel and its neighbors.” The plan remains in its “early stages,” with the October 27 Israeli election and US midterms in November expected to influence its development. Asked whether he would meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while in New York next week, Trump said he may.
The possible escalation would follow more than six months of fighting that has inflicted extensive damage on US military facilities across the Middle East. A Pentagon inspector general report released on September 14 found that Iranian strikes damaged or destroyed hundreds of buildings and structures at US bases in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Oman, and Jordan.
The inspector general estimated Operation Epic Fury had cost the US military $33.4 billion through June 30, including $22.3 billion in expended munitions, $7.4 billion in operating costs, and $3.7 billion in equipment losses. The estimate did not include the cost of repairing damaged military infrastructure. The watchdog also said the expenditure of munitions had created “strategic inventory shortfalls” and exposed bottlenecks in the US defense industrial base’s ability to replenish weapons.
ABC News also obtained images and videos showing damage to buildings and an aircraft at three US bases in Kuwait and at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, with one image appearing to show a damaged E-3 Sentry surveillance aircraft at the Saudi base. The outlet reported, citing the Defense Department, that 18 US service members have been killed and 824 wounded since the war began on February 28, with the deadliest Iranian attack on US forces occurring on the second day of the conflict, when six US soldiers were killed at Port Shuaiba in Kuwait.
Hence then, the article about trump weighs renewed large scale attacks on iran was published today ( ) and is available on SHAFAQ NEWS ( Iraq ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Trump weighs renewed large-scale attacks on Iran )
Also on site :
- Lola Tung and Daniel Bravo Hernández to Lead New York Theatre Workshop Benefit Reading of ‘Sanctuary City’
- 1987 MTV Music Video, Produced by The Monkees’ Mike Nesmith, Helped Bring Iconic Michael Jackson Song to No. 1
- 15 New Costco Frozen Foods Members Say Are Worth Clearing Freezer Space For