Trump Says He’s ‘Close’ to Ordering ‘Massive Attack’ on Iran: ‘They Haven’t Received Enough Pain Yet’

(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

President Donald Trump warned he is “close” to deciding whether to launch what he described as a “massive attack” on Iran, as he said that the regime “haven’t received enough pain yet.”

Speaking exclusively to Axios reporter Barak Ravid in a short interview on Thursday, Trump said he was considering military strikes that would surpass those carried out during Operation Epic Fury, at the outset of the campaign, but stressed that he had not yet made a final decision.

“I am considering a massive attack. Bigger than ever before. I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it,” Trump said.

Expressing his frustration with stalled negotiations he told Ravid that Iran remains interested in negotiations but argued its leadership has yet to shift its position.

“They haven’t received enough pain yet,” he told the outlet.

Two U.S. officials also told Axios that no order has been issued to the military and no final call has been made.

Ravid reported that Trump did not provide a timeline for when he expects to decide but that he pressed the president on Israel’s potential role in any future military operation. Trump told him that the country “would join in two minutes if I ask them to,” while insisting the U.S. military “don’t need anybody” to carry out another round of strikes.

His remarks come as U.S. operations against Iran have intensified over the past 12 days in response to attacks on commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, with Tehran continuing its own military actions across the region.

Trump separately warned on Truth Social that the U.S. would hold Iran responsible if the Iran-backed Houthi rebels launch further attacks on ships in the Red Sea, after threatening a blockade there.

Calling the Houthis an Iranian proxy, he said “major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis themselves.”

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