President Donald Trump said he will soon make a decision on whether to launch a "massive attack" on Iran after the conflict in the Middle East extended to a new battleground in the Red Sea.
Speaking to Axios on Thursday, the president said the proposed strikes would be bigger than anything seen in the war so far, and that Iran has not "received enough pain yet." "I am considering a massive attack.
What we know
CNBC Top News Trump considering a ‘massive attack’ on Iran as Tehran labels UK ‘accomplice’ to America https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/24/us-iran-war-trump-hormuz-houthis.html 2026-07-24T08:20:25.410Z U.S. He said that Israel would join the operation "in two minutes if I ask them to," but that Israel would potentially face retaliation from Iran if it did take part.
"If they do this again, the U.S. will hold Iran responsible, in that the Houthis are a Surrogate and/or Proxy of Iran, and major military punishment will be inflicted upon Iran and, of course, the Houthis, themselves," he said in a Truth Social post. Secretary of State Marco Rubio labeled Trump's approach to the Iran war as "a head for an eye." "Honestly, that's what it's going to be," he said.
Meanwhile, the U.K. said it "stands ready 24/7 to defend itself" after Iran labeled the country an "accomplice" to the U.S. over the use of British military bases by American forces.
The details
U.S. forces have pummeled Iranian targets over the past two weeks, with Central Command completing a 13th consecutive night of strikes overnight. They're already paying a very heavy price." Oil prices fell by around 1% on Friday morning, but were still on course for a weekly rise of 10%. Global benchmark Brent crude futures held above the $99-per-barrel mark, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures were trading at $91.08 a barrel.
Reactions
On Thursday, Trump said he would hold Iran responsible for further attacks by Yemen's Tehran-backed Houthis, after the militant group claimed to have struck two Saudi Arabian oil tankers in the Red Sea. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said Thursday that it had attacked U.S. military facilities at an American military base in Jordan, according to state media. In a separate statement, an Iranian official warned any European nation that providing military bases or territory to the United States would place European countries "in the ranks of the aggressors," according to state media.
What to watch
Trump did not give a deadline for when he would make a decision about a major attack on Iran, according to Axios. "They will pay a very heavy price for the things they're doing.
COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS: This article was assembled by the SHREDNEWZ evidence pipeline from corroborated reporting by NPR News, CNBC Top News. All facts and quotations are attributed to the original outlets.
DECLASSIFIED SOURCE: NPR News (via Real-time Signal Upgrade)
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