Trump: "Deciding Response to Iran... Open to Meeting Iranian President"

U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated that he is currently deciding on a response to Iran and remains open to meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the UN General Assembly.

Fox News reporter Trey Yingst reported that he had just spoken with President Trump on the 20th local time, stating, "President Trump said he is in 'decision mode' and that something very big will happen in the near future."

Yingst added, "Regarding the available options, President Trump mentioned wiping out Iran, economically strangling them, and reaching a deal," and continued, "He said 'the question is when to blow up the whole country' and that they had better behave."

He further noted, "President Trump said regarding whether he would meet with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian at the UN General Assembly, 'I'm probably open to it.'"

Trump's remarks are interpreted as a pressure tactic on Iran, raising the possibility of a massive military strike against the country while simultaneously leaving the door open for a face-to-face meeting with President Pezeshkian to push for an agreement.

President Pezeshkian is scheduled to attend the UN General Assembly opening this week and deliver a speech on the 23rd.

President Trump is also scheduled to speak at the UN General Assembly on the 22nd, drawing keen attention to whether a high-level contact between the United States and Iran, which are in conflict, will materialize.

Yingst also reported that President Trump stated the U.S. remains in contact with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen and that the Houthis have agreed not to fight the United States.

This is interpreted as an attempt to reassure American citizens by stating that there will be no Houthi attacks targeting the United States, amid a sharp deterioration in Middle East tensions driven by intensifying Houthi offensives against Saudi Arabia.

On the 19th, the U.S. Department of State issued a security alert advising U.S. citizens in the Middle East to heighten their vigilance.

Warning that the current military conflict could rapidly escalate, the department also urged Americans planning to visit the Middle East to reconsider their travel.

President Trump returned to the White House earlier than scheduled, cutting short a weekend getaway at Camp David, the presidential retreat near Washington, D.C.

Having arrived at Camp David on Friday the 18th with plans to return on the 20th, he returned a day early on the 19th.

This has sparked speculation that his return may be related to rapid developments in the Middle East situation.

Mohsen Rezaei, Secretary-General of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, stated in an interview with Al Jazeera on the 19th that conditions for resuming negotiations aimed at ending the war with the U.S. have been conveyed to mediators.

Simultaneously, the Iran-backed Houthi rebels stepped up pressure on the U.S. by launching an attack on Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.

(Photo: Getty Images)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.