Trump on Iran: 'Do I Make a Deal or Do I Finish Them Off?' as the Pentagon Readies New Strike Options
The president says it is 'getting to be decision time' but ruled out a strike on Sunday. Breitbart's report leans on The Hill and the New York Times for the military planning, which we could not check ourselves.
President Trump says he is close to choosing between a deal with Iran and another round of strikes, according to Breitbart News.
What he said. On Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures, Trump put it this way: "Do I make a deal with them or do I finish them off? That's the only question." He added, "Getting to be decision time." Asked whether the U.S. might strike Iran Sunday, he answered, "Would I tell you that?" and then said, "There will not be a strike today."
The planning. Breitbart reports that U.S. Central Command has prepared strike plans that could be carried out on Trump's order, citing The Hill, and that options were presented to War Secretary Pete Hegseth but not finalized. Breitbart also cites a Saturday New York Times report that planners have looked at Iranian energy infrastructure and other economically vital sites. No new strikes have been authorized.
The leverage. Trump pointed to the U.S. naval blockade and American control of the Strait of Hormuz. "They get nothing. We get everything," he said, and claimed traffic through the strait now exceeds prewar levels. Breitbart notes a Wall Street Journal report that Middle East oil shipments have passed prewar levels at more than 24 million barrels a day, largely through alternative export routes. Trump also said U.S. surveillance is watching the Pickaxe Mountain site and sees little activity there.
The threat. Breitbart cites a memo made public Friday in which Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton told Secretary of State Marco Rubio that Iranian plots to kill Americans abroad had reached "advanced stages." Trump said he has "two very different sets of intelligence reports" and would not explain the difference.
Tehran's answer. Parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said Iran would respond "beyond the enemy's imagination" to any violation of its territory. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said another attack would not force concessions. A parliamentary spokesman said talks are "meaningless" unless Washington accepts seven Iranian conditions. Trump wants a permanent agreement barring Iran from nuclear weapons and questions whether Tehran can be trusted to keep one.
Note for readers: the strike planning comes from anonymous sourcing in other outlets as relayed by Breitbart. Trump's claims about shipping and surveillance are his own. We did not independently confirm them. We covered the Clayton memo earlier.