Trump Says No Regrets Over Iran War, Weighs New Strikes

US President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that he does not regret going to war with Iran. Speaking to reporters outside the White House, he credited the campaign with preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, Arutz Sheva reported.

"I think it's one of the greatest things we've done. We've stopped Iran from having a nuclear weapon," Trump said.

He argued that no previous president had been willing to act. "It took a lot of courage to do it because no other president was willing to do it. And if we didn't do it, Iran would right now have already used massive nuclear weapons," he stated.

A day earlier, in the Oval Office, Trump indicated that Washington had made progress but had not yet decided whether more military action would be required. "We just have to make a final decision. Which way do we want to win? Do we want to win the nice way or the not nice way?" he said.

Later on Wednesday, Trump addressed a campaign rally in South Carolina, held as the November 3 midterm elections approach, Matzav reported. He predicted the war would "end very soon," adding: "We could leave now, but we want to make sure it lasts for a long time."

At the rally, Trump said Operation Midnight Hammer and Operation Epic Fury had "obliterated Iran's nuclear enrichment capacity." He called the nuclear agreement concluded under Barack Obama "a road to a nuclear weapon for Iran" and reminded the crowd that he had terminated it. Had Iran obtained the bomb, he warned, "we would be a tinderbox."

The New York Times reported that American and Israeli military commanders have drawn up detailed plans for another major assault on Iran, which could begin after the November elections. The possible targets include:

nuclear facilities
energy infrastructure
missile production capabilities
drone arsenals

Pickaxe Mountain, a deeply buried Iranian nuclear facility, is reportedly among the sites under consideration. One proposal envisions an intensive three-day bombing campaign.

According to a separate account in the Financial Times, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed earlier this month for a fresh offensive against Iran, and Trump opposed resuming major combat before the US elections. Israeli preparations were far enough along for strikes to be launched around October 10, that report stated.

Tehran has meanwhile reiterated its refusal to send its enriched uranium stockpile abroad, rejecting a central American demand. On Tuesday, Mohsen Rezaei told Pakistan's army chief, Asim Munir, that Iran's enriched nuclear material would stay in the country. Pakistan has been attempting to mediate between Washington and Tehran.

Donald Trump & Masoud Pezeshkian, file images

Channel 12 News reported on Wednesday that dozens of Israeli fighter jets and refueling aircraft flew in full attack formation over Syria and Iraq between Monday night and Tuesday. The aircraft came within a short distance of Iran's border before turning back to their bases.