U.S. President Donald Trump said he faced an important decision about how the war with Iran would end. Trump said he was considering the option of launching a large-scale attack to end the war.
Trump described his decision in these words: "Do I want to go in and wipe them out or do I not? I have an important decision to make ahead of me. This is a big decision, and everything is possible for me."
Speaking on Thursday about the Iran issue, Trump said he would meet with leaders of regional countries in New York next week. He said the meetings would help produce a clearer approach to Iran.
Trump says there is direct contact
Trump claimed that Iran was communicating directly with the United States and that Tehran remained strongly interested in reaching an agreement. In remarks the previous evening, he had also said he hoped Washington would move toward ending the war with Iran.
The U.S. president also said he had established direct contact with the Iranian government to reach an agreement. Iran did not immediately respond to the statement.
Dispute over the Strait of Hormuz
Trump said he was pleased that the naval blockade targeting Iran's oil exports had been lifted. Trump argued that no ships had gone to Iran since the blockade began and said such attempts had been prevented.
Negotiations between Iran and the United States appear to have stalled over disputes concerning maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. While disagreements continue over the strait, which is strategically important for global energy and goods shipments, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding in mid-June.
Possibility of a meeting with Netanyahu
Asked whether he would meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the United Nations General Assembly meetings in New York next week, Trump replied, "I might."
The United States has recently carried out military strikes on several sites in Iran, following the breakdown of the negotiations. Iran has also carried out attacks targeting military facilities and equipment it said belonged to the United States in Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia.
Civilians were killed and civilian facilities were damaged in some of the attacks. The countries targeted condemned the attacks and called for them to stop.
Conflict toll
The war waged by the United States and Israel against Iran began on February 28. Iran said more than 3,000 people had been killed in the conflict. Iran also claimed that U.S. and Israeli citizens had been killed in its attacks.
