U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to reporters after landing on Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, July 19, 2026.
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US President Donald Trump said he would soon decide whether to launch a “massive attack” on Iran, as the Middle East conflict escalated to a new battleground in the Red Sea.
In an interview with Axios on Thursday, the president said the proposed attack would be larger than anything seen in previous wars and that Iran “hasn’t suffered enough yet.”
President Trump said in an interview: “We are considering a large-scale attack. Larger than we’ve ever seen before. We’re getting closer to making a decision. We’re ready.”
U.S. forces have been shelling targets in Iran for the past two weeks, and Central Command has completed 13 consecutive night strikes.
According to Axios, President Trump did not give a deadline for when he would decide on a major attack on Iran. He said Israel intended to participate in the operation “within two minutes if I ask,” but said it could face retaliation from Iran if it did.
The president also reiterated that the Iranian side “wants to negotiate,” but told the outlet that Iran is not yet ready to reach an agreement with the United States.
President Trump on Thursday said he would hold Iran responsible for further attacks by Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthis, after the group claimed to have attacked two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.
“If they do something like this again, the United States will hold Iran accountable,” he said in a post on Truth Social. “Significant military penalties will be imposed on Iran and, of course, on the Houthis themselves, in that the Houthis are agents or proxies of Iran.”
The Houthis on Monday declared a maritime embargo on Saudi Arabia and threatened to cut off Saudi oil exports through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said Thursday it attacked a U.S. military facility at a U.S. military base in Jordan, state media said.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio called President Trump’s approach to the Iran war “head for an eye” to reporters Thursday.
“Honestly, it will be,” he said. “They’re going to pay a very high price for what they’re doing. They’re already paying a very high price.”
Oil prices fell about 1% on Friday morning, but were still expected to rise 10% for the week. global benchmark brent crude oil futures The US remains above $99 per barrel. West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil Futures It was trading at $91.08 per barrel.
Iran threatens Europe
Meanwhile, Britain said it was “ready 24/7 to defend itself” after Iran labeled Britain an “accomplice” of the United States over its use of British military bases.
Shortly after the start of the US-Iran war, Britain allowed the US to use British bases for defensive operations. The agreement was extended last week and remains unchanged by Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
“Parties that participate in any form of military aggression against Iran will be responsible for the consequences and repercussions of their decisions,” Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Thursday.
It added: “The British government has chosen to align itself with the aggressor, reducing itself to an accomplice of the United States and Israel in a brutal war against the Iranian state.”
In a separate statement, Iranian officials warned European countries that providing military bases and territory to the United States would make them “join the ranks of aggressors,” according to state media.
