US President Donald Trump is nearing a decision on whether to launch another major military aggression against Iran, telling Axios that he is weighing renewed large-scale attacks as Washington considers the next phase of the months-long war.

“I have a big decision coming up. Do I want to go in and annihilate them [the Iranian regime] or do I not? It's a big decision. Anything could happen with me,” Trump told Axios in an interview published Thursday.

The remarks come days before Trump is expected to meet the leaders of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, where discussions are expected to focus on the war and Washington's plans for what comes next.

Trump indicated that consultations with Gulf governments would factor into his deliberations over Washington's next move.

“I want to find out where they are and how they are doing. We have been very protective of them,” he said.

Gulf concerns weighed against renewed escalation

According to Axios, Trump previously considered restarting major combat operations in early August but held off after Saudi Arabia and Qatar raised concerns that Tehran could retaliate against Saudi oil and gas infrastructure.

Washington instead maintained military pressure while refraining from another large-scale offensive, continuing its naval operations around Iran, tightening economic sanctions, and concentrating military efforts on increasing tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz.

Traffic through the strategic waterway has increased but remains below levels recorded before the war, while the conflict continues to exert pressure on global energy markets.

The US military is also maintaining a substantial regional deployment. Axios, citing US officials, reported that Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered current force levels in West Asia to remain in place through the end of the year, keeping US forces positioned for a possible renewed escalation.

“At some point you have to decide what is the end game,” one US official told the outlet.

Trump claims Iran still seeking agreement

Despite threatening another major offensive, Trump maintained that communication between Washington and Tehran was continuing and claimed Iran remained interested in reaching an agreement.

His comments follow remarks a day earlier in which he said, “Well, hopefully we are towards the end of the war,” while claiming that the Iranians “want to make a deal. We'll see how that works out.”

The war entered its seventh month in September after joint US-Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28, followed by Iranian retaliatory attacks against “Israel” and US-linked targets in the region.

Meanwhile, Axios reported that the White House is drafting a broader post-war strategy focused on containing Iran and expanding normalization between “Israel” and regional states.

The emerging plan remains under development as Washington weighs both a possible diplomatic track and another round of large-scale military operations.

Asked whether he would meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu while in New York next week, Trump told Axios, “I may.”

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