Trump weighs wider Iran strikes after 18 US troop deaths

President Donald Trump weighed wider military action against Iran on Thursday, Nov. 5, after saying 18 U.S. service members have died in the conflict, Gulf News reported, citing Axios.

Trump claimed Iran could need 25 to 30 years to rebuild, while Gulf News said Democratic midterm wins could strengthen oversight when Congress changes hands in January.

After meeting his national security team in the Oval Office, Trump said the administration would soon decide whether to “go further” against Iran’s nuclear program.

He said he would rather not “destroy the rest of the country,” adding, “maybe I’ll have to,” and that people would “know soon enough.”

Two U.S. officials told Axios the meeting was the first on Iran since the midterm elections. They said Trump was considering further strikes, continued economic pressure or a deal.

The remarks put military, diplomatic and domestic political choices on the same timetable. Gulf News said Democrats’ midterm victories raised questions about Trump’s room for action before the new Congress arrives.

Atlas360 reported Nov. 7 that Vice President JD Vance linked Republican losses to the Iran war and ties with Israel. An AP voter survey cited in that report found action on Iran mattered to voters, though living costs and corruption ranked higher.

Trump has also given mixed accounts of his intentions. He told the Financial Times the U.S. had no immediate plans for another major attack, while saying, “we’re locked and loaded if we need to go.”

He told Politico his decision to launch the war was correct. Gulf News said he told The Wall Street Journal it was “a piece” of the election result, and told Fox News, “I think it’s a gasoline price,” not a war.

The report did not include an Iranian government response to Trump’s latest comments. It also did not cite an independent assessment of his claim that Iran would need 25 to 30 years to rebuild.

Source: news article, Gulf News, Nov. 6.