Trump weighs deal or new strikes as Iran tensions rise

Washington — US President Donald Trump has said he is approaching a decision between a deal with Iran and renewed military strikes, while ruling out any immediate attack. Speaking to Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, he framed the choice starkly, the Japan Times reported: finish it off, which he said would be easy, or make a deal. "We don’t play games," he said.

Trump told reporters on Sunday that "there will not be a strike today", Al Jazeera reported. But he has suggested strikes could resume after the 3 November midterm elections and has sent additional forces, including a third aircraft carrier group, toward the Persian Gulf.

On the Iranian side, President Masoud Pezeshkian blamed Washington for the collapse of talks on an interim deal to end the war with the United States and Israel, while saying a new attempt at an agreement should still be made, Africanews reported. He has previously said the US must end its threats and lift sanctions before any negotiations.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he remains committed to overthrowing Iran’s government. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned that even limited strikes would trigger a response "several times greater". The New York Times reported earlier this week that US and Israeli militaries have developed specific plans for renewed strikes against Iran.

The standoff is unfolding alongside wider violence. The Saudi-led coalition said it attacked Houthi-held territory in Yemen, including Sanaa, after the group claimed a ballistic missile attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid airport. Washington has weighed a strike or a deal with Tehran for weeks, and Gulf states have been bracing for a possible return to war.

Both leaders face elections within days: Israelis choose their next government on Tuesday, while Trump’s Republican Party contests the midterms on 3 November. For Iranians living under sanctions and the threat of bombardment, the wait now is for a signal from Washington — whether the next move is a signature on a deal or the order to strike.