U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday (Nov. 2) that he was "in no rush" to decide whether to resume military action against Iran, Axios reported.
"One way or the other, we will do something, but there is no rush. We crippled them financially. They have no money, no gasoline and their people are getting very tired of it," Trump said in a phone interview with Axios on Monday.
The U.S. midterm elections are seen as a turning point for Trump as he decides whether to launch a major bombing campaign against Iran to try to bring the conflict to an end, Axios reported, adding that the president appears to be pursuing two tracks simultaneously, allowing diplomatic efforts to continue while preparing to resume military action if he determines that a deal is out of reach.
Trump wrote later in a post on Truth Social that oil prices were "dropping like a rock, down almost 10 U.S. dollars a barrel," attributing the decline to market expectations that there would be no war with Iran. "Iran wants a settlement, as soon as possible. It could happen," he added.
According to Axios, Trump is weighing three possible courses of action, each backed by a different group of advisers: reaching a diplomatic deal, resuming military action, or maintaining maximum economic pressure without either a new deal or renewed hostilities.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance and White House envoy Steve Witkoff are urging Trump to pursue a diplomatic agreement, arguing that renewed hostilities may not necessarily improve the situation. Most Gulf countries also favor this approach and have conveyed their position to Trump, the report said, citing people familiar with the matter.
By contrast, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth are pushing for a resumption of military operations. They argue that Iran cannot be trusted to reach an agreement, let alone honor one, and that the United States should finish the job militarily, according to the report.
Meanwhile, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are advising Trump to maintain the current "no war, no deal" status quo and allow the economic pressure campaign to continue, Axios reported.
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Trump was leaning toward a large-scale attack on Iran after the midterm elections, potentially targeting Iranian infrastructure and nuclear facilities, although he had yet to make a final decision.
In a phone call with Netanyahu on Saturday, Trump said he wanted to give ongoing diplomatic efforts more time to succeed, people familiar with the conversation told the newspaper. Netanyahu, however, pressed for strikes immediately after the U.S. midterm elections, while the Israeli military had prepared attack plans and remained on high alert, according to the report.
Iranian officials have warned that any new attack would trigger an unrestrained response. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, however, said Tehran remained willing to continue negotiations, according to Iran's official news agency IRNA.
(Source: Xinhua)
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