Trump Says He's in 'Deciding Mode' on a Massive Attack on Iran as Middle East Tensions Spike

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he is weighing a large-scale military strike on Iran, describing himself as being in "deciding mode" nearly eight months into the US-Iran conflict. Speaking by phone to Fox News correspondent Trey Yingst on Fox & Friends Weekend, Trump said his choices boiled down to a devastating military strike, letting Iran's economy deteriorate further, or negotiating an end to the fighting, an option he said Tehran has so far refused.

Trump framed the decision in typically blunt terms, telling Yingst that "very big things" were coming in the near future and posing the question of "if and when do I blow the entire nation up." The remarks land as the war, now well into its eighth month, continues to squeeze global oil supply and push up gasoline and diesel prices worldwide.

Security Alert Across the Middle East

The comments coincided with Washington issuing what officials called a comprehensive security alert across the Middle East, warning of the potential for unforeseen escalation. US embassies in the region have stepped up precautions as the conflict shows signs of widening beyond the original Iran-US confrontation.

That spillover has been most visible in Yemen, where Iran-backed Houthi rebels have expanded their campaign against Saudi Arabia. Houthi forces reportedly struck oil storage facilities near Riyadh's international airport and Saudi Aramco infrastructure in Yanbu over the weekend, while Saudi officials said a ballistic missile aimed at the capital itself was intercepted, marking one of the more direct attempts to hit Riyadh since the latest round of fighting began.

Saudi Arabia Presses Washington

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has reportedly spoken with Trump twice in the past week urging direct US strikes against the Houthis, a request the White House has so far not acted on. The renewed fighting in Yemen is seen as the most serious since a United Nations-brokered truce paused large-scale hostilities in 2022, after eight years of civil war, and threatens shipping through the Bab al-Mandeb strait at a time when the broader Iran war has already curtailed traffic through the Strait of Hormuz.

For India, the immediate concerns are economic rather than strategic. New Delhi imports the bulk of its crude from the Gulf, and any prolonged disruption to shipping lanes or a sharp spike in oil prices would filter through to domestic fuel costs and inflation. Indian refiners have already had to recalibrate sourcing as the conflict has dragged on, and a further escalation involving Iran directly would add fresh uncertainty to an oil market that has been on edge for months.

Trump's Sunday comments did not lay out a specific timeline, and it remains unclear whether the administration is preparing imminent military action or using the threat as leverage to push Iran back toward negotiations. What is clear is that the rhetoric, combined with the security alert and the widening Yemen front, has raised the temperature across the region heading into the new week.

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